Pale Waves have released their second promotional track for new album, Who Am I?, due to come out on 12 February 2021.
‘She’s My Religion’ is the first song where songwriter and lead singer, Heather, really opens up about her feelings. Having struggled with her sexuality in the past, this is Heather reclaiming that back.
The song begins with soft guitar notes leading into the first verse. This verse sets us up for the rest of the song which is about changing the narrative of society’s expectations of a ‘normal’ relationship.
“Society depicts the dark sides to a person as unloveable and tends to only focus on the positive sides”, Heather states in her recent Instagram post about the song.
We then hear the chorus for the first time. “She’s no angel, but she is my religion” is the lyric that stands out and sticks in the listener’s head.
The second verse is more so how Heather can also be deemed the ‘unloveable’ one in society’s eyes but that in reality they are best with each other.
“She helped me find a different kinda love. Made me feel like I was finally enough. But there’s more going on behind the scenes. She needs this love just as much as me”.
These lyrics show that compromise that is made in relationships where both sides understand each other’s needs and when you are close enough to someone to let them in and see your true self.
It also suggests, that for Heather, this person came along at just the right time and they were both able to share that love for one another.
We then hear the chorus again before we get to the bridge of the song. Heather sings ‘Religion’ eight times before breaking into the chorus for the final time. Heather’s vocals are powerful throughout because you can really hear the emotion in her voice. It is a song that fits into reality.
I personally feel that this song would help anyone that is struggling with their identity or coming to terms with who they are. This is the first Pale Waves song that has included she/her pronouns.
Before when Heather had wrote about anyone, it was always ‘you’ or ‘we’ that was used. However, she has accepted who she is and is now comfortable having her relationship with girlfriend, Kelsi, public.
This makes this a special song, not just for the band but for Heather in particular.
Therefore, for any listener, this is inspiring to have someone in the public eye who is on the same journey a lot of people can relate to.
“To normalise LGBTQ relationships in a world that needs it. Love who you wanna love and embrace it”. Heather finishes off her Instagram post (which is an image of her and Kelsi) with a shoutout to her fanbase in the community.
This track follows the first glimpse we got at the album, ‘Change’, released last month.
The video for ‘She’s My Religion’ featuring Heather and Kelsi will be out next week.
Listen to both songs on Spotify, Apple Music and all other music-streaming services.
Featured image: Ian Cheek Press
