Eighteen (Pale Waves song)


"Eighteen" is a song by English indie pop band Pale Waves from their debut studio album, My Mind Makes Noises. It was released as the album's fifth single on 24 July 2018 by Dirty Hit.

Release

The song premiered on BBC Radio 1 show as Annie Mac's "Hottest Record in the World" on 24 July 2018. The band also revealed on the same show that their debut studio album was titled My Mind Makes Noises and would be released on 14 September 2018. "Eighteen" was featured on BBC Radio 1's official playlist throughout August and September 2018. The single reached the A-list in the week of 7 September 2018, a first for the band.
The song was a success in Japan, marking the first time the band have charted outside of Europe. The single reached number 55 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and number two on the Japan Hot Overseas chart.

Critical reception

Will Richards of DIY magazine gave the song a positive review, calling it the band's "most direct pop song yet", and also praising the chorus as "the best Pale Waves have ever written." Writing for Dork, Stephen Ackroyd was similarity positive about the track, praising it for being a great introduction to the album; he wrote the track "audibly throbs, revving its engines on the starting line." Rania Aniftos of Billboard had high praise for the song, calling it a "glistening pop tune" and summarising: "It's truly an electronic bop that encompasses the age it's titled after."

Music video

The music video for "Eighteen" was directed by Adam Powell and premiered on 22 August 2018. The video depicts lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie on a road trip across the United States. Footage of Baron-Gracie walking through a forest by a lake, staying in a motel and visiting a diner is interspersed with the footage. There is also an unseen love interest shown in apparent flashback scenes. Hugo Silvani and Charlie Wood play the characters of gas station attendants, whilst Ciara Doran appears at the diner as a customer.

Track listing

Charts

Release history