The WAEVE—a new project consisting of Rose Elinor Dougall and Blur guitarist Graham Coxon are to release their self-titled debut album February 3rd, 2023 via Transgressive Records. They have shared the album’s second single, the atmospheric and epic slow-burner “Drowning.” The opening brings to mind Sing Sing (Emma Anderson’s post-Lush band), before there are hints of early Doves and then it settles into simply sounding like The WAEVE.
The band collectively had this to say about the song in a press statement: “Drowning’ is one of the more meandering, cinematic songs on the album. The song touches on themes of allowing oneself to be subsumed by forces you can’t deny, whether that be romantically or life in general, of giving into the delicious risk of total failure and oblivion, despite one’s better judgment… Lyrically it comes from two different perspectives, with Rose’s vocal beginning as an intimate half secret, which then expands into soaring strings. By the end we hear Graham’s refrain, acquiescing to the rising tides of intensity and acceptance of a shared fate – ‘Hold on to me as the waters rise. Drowning again…’”
Previously The WAEVE shared the album’s first single, “Can I Call You,” via a video for it.
James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Florence & The Machine, Foals, HAIM) produced The WAEVE, which was recorded earlier this year. Dougall and Coxon started trading messages during lockdown, around Christmas 2020, and the project grew from there.any of the tracks feature Coxon on saxophone, one of the first instruments he picked up when he initially became a musician. Reference points for the album in the press release include: Sandy Denny, John and Beverly Martyn, Kevin Ayers, and Van der Graaf Generator.
A previous press release describes the band’s sound in more detail: “A liquid meeting of musical minds and talents. A powerful elixir of cinematic British folk-rock, post-punk, organic song writing and freefall jamming. The WAEVE strikes that magical English folk-rock alchemy of earth and ether. Heaviness and weightlessness. Darkness and light.”
The project was announced in April and in May they shared their debut single, “Something Pretty,” but actually isn’t featured on the album. Previously they also shared a trailer for the band.
Dougall released her last solo album, “A New Illusion”, in April 2019 via Vermillion, Coxon’s last solo album was 2012’s “A+E“, but he’s kept busy with soundtrack work, including releasing two albums of songs and score from the acclaimed TV show The End of the F***ing World and his 2021 score to the comic book Superstate.
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