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Photo: Kelsi Luck

As indie rock band Pale Waves head into the final stretch of their U.S. tour opening for 5 Seconds of Summer, the indie darlings have released their newest track, "The Hard Way," from their upcoming album Unwanted, out August 12. The soul-stirring track serves as a reminder to be kind and encourages people to stand up for those in need of love and support.

The single is a biting track that reflects on lead singer Heather Baron Gracie's wish that her childhood self had done more for a girl who ended up taking her own life after being bullied at school. "When I was in high school, a girl who was being bullied took her own life," shares Heather on the inspiration for the song. "I got on the bus with her every single morning, and I would see her sitting in her same spot. She sat downstairs, and I would go upstairs. 'The Hard Way' is about my regret for not helping her, or standing up for her, that I feel now as an adult," she confides.

Heather continues wishing she didn't have to learn "The Hard Way" and shares that she "...should've taken on your weight." "The Hard Way" breaks from its melancholic, acoustic start and swells into a burning, guitar-fueled experience filled with determination, replacing feelings of grief and regret with a sense of perseverance and hope, forbidding history to repeat itself. She adds, "As a kid, you're so shy and afraid, but I hope it'll influence people to stand up for those who need help and help people understand that their words and actions can be really damaging. You don't know how cruel you can be sometimes, especially at that age."

"The Hard Way" follows the release of the band's single "Jealousy," an amped-up anthem that examines the darker sides of love and jealousy while effortlessly showcasing the band's chic and stylized approach to alternative rock. The album will also feature the euphoric and energetic "Reasons To Live" and lead single "Lies," an angst-fueled, rebellious pop-punk anthem that pairs the crunchy guitars and rhythmic drive of the 2000s with the rage of '90s rock to speak to lies catching up with someone who has shattered your trust.

"The album dives into feelings that I felt not only needed to be written, but I felt like our fans want to hear," continues Heather on the themes that inspired Unwanted. "Almost everyone has felt like they don't belong or has been made to feel like they're not good enough. That's a consistent theme that I'm seeing from our fans – that their family doesn't approve of them, or their friends have disowned them because they've come out. So Unwanted had to be honest, provocative, and loud. Not only thematically, but in the music as well."

Pale Waves is currently touring as the official opener on 5 Seconds of Summer's nationwide U.S. amphitheater tour. They will also play a string of select headline shows before taking the stage for international festival dates.

Listen to “The Hard Way” below:

2022 TOUR DATES 

July 21 – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre – Sterling Heights, MI * 

July 22 – The Rave/Eagles Club – Milwaukee, WI 

July 23 – The Armory – Minneapolis, MN * 

July 24 – Saint Louis Music Park – Maryland Heights, MO * 

July 29 – Y-Not Festival – Pikehall, Derbyshire, UK 

July 30 – Kendal Calling Festival – Lowther Deer Park, UK

August 13 – Boardmasters Festival – Cornwall, UK 

August 26 – Leeds Festival – Leeds, UK 

August 28 – Reading Festival – Reading, U.K. 

September 16- Riot Fest- Chicago, IL

November 25 – Albert Hall – Manchester, U.K. 

November 26 – O2 Academy – Liverpool, UK 

November 27 – Beach Ballroom – Aberdeen, U.K. 

November 28 – Barrowland Ballroom – Glasgow, UK 

November 30 – O2 Brixton Academy – London, UK

* As main support for 5 Seconds of Summer