Photo Credit: Martyna Bannister
Dublin indie-rockers Pillow Queens have released their third studio album Name Your Sorrow via Canada’s Royal Mountain Records, their second album on the label. The inspiration for the album title comes from an Eavan Boland poem Atlantis – in fact, Name Your Sorrow comes from a line in the poem. Pillow Queens worked with a new producer on the album – Collin Pastore from Nashville – which has helped take the band to the next level of musical depths, in sharp contrast to their 2020 debut album In Waiting.
The opener, February 8th, is filled with raw emotion lyrically as lead vocalist Sarah Corcoran sings: “I don’t like that, I don’t like that, lets see how long I can do it/Just a kiss here, and a bruise there/A poker lip, see how I can prove it.” It is a jaw dropping start to an album dealing with an important subject matter and pulls you in immediately. The band are certainly pushing boundaries here. Musically it is a great start to the record, with a good mix of melodies and guitar riffs.
Suffer has an infectious bassline running throughout, working well alongside the dual vocals from Corcoran and Pamela Connolly, providing a perfect combination of vocal range. To be fair, all four band members take on vocal duties at times during the album, with guitarist Cathy McGuinness and drummer Rachel Lyons both excelling in their duties. Fellow Irish musician CMAT’s influence can be heard during next track Like A Lesson, and at times you could be mistaken for thinking that CMAT is actually singing on here. Again, the lyrics shine through: “I’m bring more than myself now, I try to talk to God but he says sort yourself out,” once again proving that Pillow Queens are great songwriters. McGuinness’s guitar work on this one is sublime.
Blew Up The World is one of the standout tracks, with a good mix of guitars and drums as the band explore how we can easily drown in a world of loneliness and despair. Friend Of Mine is a more upbeat track and moves along at a nice pace, while The Bar’s Closed could be considered a slower power ballad, with the lyrics “When the bar’s closed/ The high road seems so high.” There are definitely mid-1990s The Cranberries similarities here. Gone could easily be on any pub playlist over the summer, a song that has everything from outstanding vocals alongside some thrashing guitar riffs.
Heavy Pour has a nice synth backdrop and the song is played in true Wolf Alice style, in contrast to next track Love II which is another ballad. The album ends with Notes On Worth, leaving us wanting more, but at the same time realising that Name Your Sorrow has put Pillow Queens on the list of Irish bands that are making big waves in this decade so far. The band head out on tour in June and it’s without a doubt that fans will be excited to hear these new tracks live – we certainly can’t wait!
9/10
Standout Tracks: Suffer, Blew Up The World, Gone
For Fans Of: CMAT, NewDad, SPRINTS
Written by: Alan Brown
