The Unshakeable Sultry Power Of The WAEVE Is At An All-Time High In New Release 'City Lights’

THE WAEVE, Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall, have differentiated themselves from many music acts in their search for an organic sonic identity, melding British folk-rock and post-punk into something new entirely. 

A signature sound that speaks to Coxon’s legendary status in British music and Dougall’s hauntingly beautiful lyrical and vocal delivery.

Now, a year on from the release of their critically acclaimed debut album, Coxon and Dougall return with the release of the strikingly seductive, ‘City Lights’. 

Written by Coxon and Dougall, the track features the duo sharing vocals, as well as, keyboards, guitar, bass, drums, and a flurry of saxophone, as they continue to test the boundaries of their collaborative sound. 

Taken from their forthcoming studio album, the song encapsulates the same charm and magnetism of their debut, the juxtaposition of darkness in the lyrics with the bright energy of the guitar lines and sprinkling of keyboards, the metaphorical streetlights in the dark. Paired with a boldly sultry delivery, its stalking energy is unshakeable.

The hypnotising ability of the track has an almost Lynchian effect, the mundanity of fluorescent city lighting becoming altogether sinister and menacing. From the introductory lines, “Now your soul belongs to me / It'll be alright / Out in the darkness,” and the accompanying distorted guitars, to the almost angelic chorus, the pursuit of ownership of both body and soul is deftly and persuasively explored. It’s one of those rare times that calling a track cinematic doesn’t feel like an exaggeration but rather a fact. 

THE WAEVE will headline London’s Village Underground on 29th October.

Megan-Louise Burnham

@mgn.lb

Image: ‘City Lights’ Official Single Cover