The guitar-driven ‘Like A Lesson’ explores longing for intimacy and a desire for closeness as well as the fears and insecurities that come with sharing one’s self. On the raw subject matter, the band says the track dives into, “The notion of finding safety and comfort in the presence of love of limerence is emphasized, contrasting with the paralyzing fear of making mistakes or ruining your life or someone else’s. It delves into the feeling of being a lesson for someone, a side character in someone else’s story.” Over a hooky guitar riff, the track swells until the backing instruments fade for a moment and lead vocalist, bassist and guitarist Pamela Connolly belts, “I don’t wanna ruin my life/But I wanna go home with you.” Here, the band illustrates the thin line between fear and desire, and the risk involved in vulnerability.
It slowly became a blend of each band member’s music taste and is now a favourite to play live. The band continues, “Sonically, we were influenced by a range of artists from Blur and REM to Seminsonic, New Radicals, and Squeeze. It began as a song we felt had a strong country music influence and morphed into something that referenced a wide range of our musical tastes. It’s the 90s soft rock song on the album.”
The band’s triumphant third full-length album Name Your Sorrow finds the group at their most vulnerable and self-assured as they explore themes of queerness, insecurity, desire and heartbreak as well as the positivity and strength that can grow from pain. Produced by Collin Pastore (Lucy Dacus, boygenius) at Analogue Catalogue in Northern Ireland, the collection sees the group chart new territory as they give fans an all new, uninhibited look at both their artistry and humanity. With masterful instrumentation and raw lyricism, the quartet immerse listeners in a robust, emotionally-charged sonic world like never before.
Pillow Queens – Name Your Sorrow album tracklisting
1. February 8th
2. Suffer
3. Like A Lesson
4. Blew Up The World
5. Friend Of Mine
6. The Bar’s Closed
7. Gone
8. So Kind
9. Heavy Pour
10. One Night
11. Love II
12. Notes On Worth
Pre-order Name Your Sorrow HERE.
This June, Pillow Queens will perform live across the UK and will support Snow Patrol in Limerick, IR on July 12 ahead of their biggest show to date on July 13 at Dublin, Ireland’s Iveagh Gardens. Tickets
05 June – Wardrobe, Leeds, UK
06 June – The Fleece, Bristol, UK
07 June – Brixton Electric, London, UK
08 June – YES (Pink Room), Manchester, UK
10 June – Cluny, Newcastle, UK
11 June – Saint Luke’s, Glasgow, UK
12 July – Thomond Park Stadium, Limerick, IR (supporting Snow Patrol)
13 July – Iveagh Gardens, Dublin, IR
Tickets are on sale now for all shows via pillowqueens.com/live.
Connect with Pillow Queens: Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | YouTube
Photo credit – Martyna Bannister