7/10

Over the last few years, Pale Waves have been sitting in that comfortable bubble of small and infrequent releases, unveiling the odd single here and there that slowly builds the buzz without over-saturating their sound. But as the expectation reaches fever pitch, the Manchester-based goth-pop outfit look to cement their legacy with the release of their highly-anticipated debut album 'My Mind Makes Noises', a record that pays homage to their influences as much as it looks to push the envelope of modern pop-rock.

From the start of the record, the band seem very succinct in what they want to create. A strong flow of post-punk inspiration mixed with the instantly identifiable production value of The 1975, of whom are credited as producers on this record, makes for a strong listen but something that lacks that special spark that allows it to stand out from their labelmates. The one thing that this album does have going for it though, is a collection of bright and engaging singles thrown throughout. Opener 'Eighteen' is a delightful introduction to this release, while 'Black' helps close out the record in stellar form.

While it would have been nice for the band to stick to the sound of their early material, this very glossy and well-produced direction does give them an edge their suits their brooding demeanour, but lacks much of the grit that we fell in love with in the first place. A very commercially-aimed debut which will probably help them get on the radio, but not quite ground them in the way we would have hoped.