On 20 April 2022, The Waeve officially went public by announcing that they would be playing their first live show and releasing their debut single, "Something Pretty", the following month. [5]

a b c d e f Seaman, Duncan (23 February 2023). "The Waeve: 'Some of the songs went on forever and are still probably going somewhere' ". The Yorkshire Post . Retrieved 30 March 2023. For all their focus on space, the WAEVE don’t shy away from lush, cinematic arrangements, with half of the songs stretching over six minutes. ‘Drowning’ counters its dreaminess with a portentous sense of dread, layering instruments to the point of cacophony; the interplay between the duo’s voices, meanwhile, has never been more thrilling. But there are moments that don’t spring to life in the same way, drawing attention to lyrics that can feel trite in their apocalyptic reflections. The robotic post-punk of ‘Someone Up There’, with its chorus of “You’ve lost your power/ It’s all gone sour,” feels labored, even if its spikiness is refreshing in the context of the album. And though their voices once again complement each other on ‘Over and Over’, the song is so languid that it seems to lose faith in its own message: “Still we grow older and older and older/ But something feels new/ Constantly changing forever.”

Mason, Julia (21 April 2022). "The Great Escape (11 – 12 May) unveils full festival and conference schedule". God Is in the TV . Retrieved 30 March 2023. Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall first met in 2004 during a gig at Islington's the Buffalo Bar, in which Coxon was an attendee and Dougall was performing with the Pipettes. However, a brief chat and Dougall convincing Coxon to buy her a quadruple brandy and coke was the extent of that encounter. [2] Then, one day in very early January we found ourselves slipping and sliding around Hampstead Heath in the mud, with the low-lying sun blinding us as we talked about ourselves and our lives. Something about Rose’s good humour and bright mischief made me feel a certain kinship toward her. Trendell, Andrew (20 April 2022). "Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall team up to form The WAEVE". NME . Retrieved 5 February 2023. a b c Redfern, Mark (19 January 2023). "The WAEVE (Rose Elinor Dougall + Graham Coxon) Share New Song "Over and Over" ". Under the Radar . Retrieved 5 February 2023.

A deluxe version of the album was released on 27 March which includes four new songs. [12] Live [ edit ] Similar tensions dominate The Waeve, shared values blurring what might otherwise be familiar, jarring styles. Indeed, given how Dougall specialises in ornate but soberly sophisticated pop and Coxon in, well, whatever takes his fancy, tension is its lifeblood. Trade-offs are rarely sanctioned, with this instead again about testing boundaries. So,

Versions

The WAEVE - composed of Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall – release their eponymous debut album, out 3rd February 2023 on Transgressive Records.

Coxon and Dougall combine forces, in other words, willing one another to take risks, basking in the ensuing, revelatory freedom, and studiously avoiding the temptations of what Lee Hazlewood called “girl boy songs”, with their narratives, double entendres and subversive stereotypes. There’s certainly no “Leather And Lace” here, and only one ‘traditional’ duet, the polished, doo-wop flavoured, out-of-character closer, “You’re All I Want To Know”, whose “ I ain’t letting you go-woah-woah-woah” motif is as likely to draw comparisons with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John as Patsy Cline. To be fair, neither’s terribly close.

Companies, etc.

The duo and album were first announced 20 April 2022 along with a standalone single called "Here Comes the Waeve". [4] [5] They also announced a second standalone single, "Something Pretty", on that day; the single was released on 5 May. [4] [6] Four more singles were released prior to the album: "Can I Call You" on 6 September, [7] "Drowning" on 24 October, [8] "Kill Me Again" on 29 November, [9] and "Over and Over" on 19 January 2023. [10] Music videos were released for "Can I Call You" and "Kill Me Again", both directed by David J. East. [9] [11] Taylor, Sarah (2 February 2023). "Album Review: The Waeve - The Waeve". Gigwise . Retrieved 3 February 2023. a b Trendell, Andrew (20 April 2022). "Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall team up to form the Waeve". NME . Retrieved 5 February 2023.