Totnes, UK indie pop/indie rock band Pale Blue Eyes have announced the released of their sophomore album ‘This House‘. New single “Make Way” accompanies today’s announcement.
Mixed and mastered by Moonlandingz’s Dean Honer (Róisín Murphy, The Human League, I Monster), the follow-up to last year’s debut album Souvenirs will hit the stores on September 1st via Full Time Hobby. Pre-order your copy here.
The house on the album’s front cover, is the childhood home of the trio’s vocalist and guitarist, Matt Board. Defined by closure and moving on, This House is shaken to its rafters as the band navigate the grief of recent parental loss. Alongside uplifting melodies that dance like no-one’s watching, the album is rich in life-affirming human connections, where music-making becomes a means of recovery.
“When Mum died, five years after Dad, there was this charge hanging in the air, connecting each person in the room,” says Matt. “Time stopped. I felt like I momentarily entered an alternative dimension between life and death. Days and weeks later I’d see my family in every corner of the house – all the reminders, ghosts and memories. Then, gradually, it felt like time for a new start, moving on from the house and my amazing parents.”
While Souvenirs captured memories and melancholy from around the death of Matt’s father, This House is its next-door neighbour, it was finished in the immediate aftermath of the death of Matt’s mum.
“It’s a more sombre and more ecstatic album, with an urgent desire to remember and enjoy every moment,” says Matt of the record’s life-defining “end of era” moments. “We’ve dealt with loss throughout both albums,” says Matt, “but this time there has been rebuilding – appreciating and relishing the things and people still here.”
“We wanted to turn a shitty situation into something positive,” says Lucy, “ so we put all our energy into making music that was fun to play live and perhaps open up a way out.” Matt concurs: “The album captures moments of elation and joy alongside the grave mood that eventually engulfed our home. During those tough times we played all over the UK and overseas, buoyed by the thrill of people listening to what we’d been working on… knowing two days later we’d be in a hospice saying our final goodbyes to Mum. The ultimate headfuckery.”
Check out the album’s tracklist and watch the video for “Takes Me Over“, below.
Pale Blue Eyes ‘This House’ Tracklist:
- More
- Simmering
- Hang Out
- Spaces
- Heating’s On
- Our History
- Million Times Over
- Illuminated
- Sister
- Takes Me Over
- Underwater
PBE Upcoming Headline Shows
Wed 17 May – Clwb Ifor Bach
Thurs 18 May – TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM
Wed 31 May – Norwich Arts Centre
Thurs 1 June – Future Yard
Photo credit: Sophie Jouvenaar
