The band will release their debut album this September!
Image: Faolán Carey
Dublin's queer indie-rock band Pillow Queens dropped the lead single from their debut album, In Waiting. The track, Handsome Wife, is alt-rock mix of scruffy and grandiose with an athletic chorus.
The self-empowering track pairs intimate and vulnerable lyrics with punk-infused vocals and soaring guitar riffs. Lyrically, the song references LGBTQI+ rights, particularly same sec marriage and inclusivity, something the community fought hard to attain. The lyrical content juxtaposes the sonic sound of the track in a harmonious way. The music video for the track was made during isolation, with the band recruiting the help pf their friends, family and strangers.
Of the track, the band say, “‘Handsome Wife’ begins with a glimpse into an emotional homecoming, one that intensifies and romanticises the seemingly insignificant. Throughout, the mundane but tender moments are held up and deified, paying reverence to the ease in which a love can thrive outside the realms of tradition.
“The song continuously references structures and rituals that were once out of reach, but are now within our grasp. In spite of this ‘Handsome Wife’ affirms that they pale in comparison to the communities we’ve built ourselves.”
Their debut album is set for release worldwide on September 25. After four years of perfecting their craft and creating music, the album is a representation of the band members lives. The record is set to be an exploration of love, particularly self-love and queer-love. However, to do so, the record will also explore family, spirituality and politics.
The band formed in 2016 and released their debut EP, Calm Girls. The release captured the attention of Steve Lamacq who called the four piece “deceptively infectious, with sharp hooks and sharp nails”. Since then, they released their follow up EP, State of the State, and have played festivals across Europe. The band are hoping to visit Australia as soon as they can.
In Waiting is out September 25. Watch the clip for Handsome Wife below!