Leave the Light On

Formed in 2016, Pillow Queens rise to prominence in Ireland and the U.K. came quickly, as they received airplay on BBC Radio 1 and began selling out shows in their native Dublin on the basis of a pair of EPs, even before delivering their Ireland-charting debut album, In Waiting, in September 2020. A year and a half later, the follow-up, Leave the Light On, returns to the debuts brawny, hook-bolstered mix of rousing and shimmering guitar rock, as well as producer Tommy McLaughlin (Villagers, SOAK), while shifting the tone into more pensive, introspective territory. Various relationships, societal gender roles, understated queer perspectives, and expectations take precedence on a track list populated with song titles like "The Wedding Band," "No Good Woman," "House That Sailed Away," and "Well Kept Wife," the latter of which offers such dissatisfied lyrics as "No one’s seen or heard from me in a while now/I’m not doing better but I’ve a child now/To please the wolves, I’ll bite my tongue/I might be lost but at least I’m young." Like much of the album, that songs mindful inner dialogues are set to driving, midtempo indie rock populated with burly drum tones, rhythmic-hook interplay, and passages of noisy distortion that elevate the bluesy vocals of Pam Connolly, who, along with sometimes-co-singer Sarah Corcoran, can evoke 80s hard rockers like Patty Smyth and Lita Ford. "Hearts & Minds" is a song that may have played well on radio in that era, with an inviting chorus that calls for a top-down lakeside drive more than fists punching the air. "House That Sailed Away" adopts a slower, synth-punctuated 3/4 time signature, though the takeaway from Leave the Light On is something heavier on average, with songs like "Historian" -- another triplet-meter entry -- incorporating squealing feedback and adventurous, high-volume guitar solos. Throughout, Pillow Queens present a sound fully formed, with tracks including opener "Be by Your Side" hitting on all cylinders. ~ Marcy Donelson