Review | Pillow Queens – Leave The Light On

Label: Royal Mountain Records

‘Leave The Light On’ is the latest album from Dublin’s Pillow Queens and is the follow up to their 2020 debut ‘In Waiting’.

As singer Pamela Connolly’s gorgeous vocals break in on opener ‘Be By Your Side’ with the gentle guitar and the bass drum which sounds like a heart beating out of a chest, you can feel the electricity in the air. As the song builds, it takes you with it in a wave of beautiful noise. As the song ebbs and flows with vocal melodies sweeping in and out and drums taking the timing wherever they feel like, ‘Be By Your Side’ feels like the perfect start to a sublime record.

From there, ‘Leave The Light On’ presents itself as a gigantic album. Though ‘The Wedding Band’ would be a standard indie song in some band’s hands, Pillow Queens create a huge sounding blanket of music.

‘Hearts & Minds’ with its vocal melodies and galloping tempo still maintains that airy feel with the guitars wailing over the top.

‘House That Sailed Away’ and ‘Delivered’ bring the pace down a little but in very different ways. ‘House That Sailed Away’ takes the wistful 60’s Americana Route whereas ‘Delivered’ takes the gloomier route with a sparse feeling to it. Part shoegaze, part indie, part Placebo tinged rock, Pillow Queens are creating their own brand of rock that feels both heavy and beautiful.

‘Leave The Light On’ feels iconic and carries the kind of weight of bands such as The Joy Formidable but with a lightweight beauty entwined throughout. Given the growth in songwriting and sound since the debut album, it will be exciting to see where Pillow Queens go from here.