The indie-pop band Pale Waves have shared a gritty new single, “You Don’t Own Me,” to tease their sophomore album Who Am I? available from February 12 via Dirty Hit. Pale Waves have previously released three singles off the forthcoming album, including “Change,” “She’s My Religion” and “Easy.”

The Manchester-based band channels a 2000s sound with a Pale Waves twist on “You Don’t Own Me,” following trend with the three previous singles off the album. The guitar-driven song is an empowering anthem of feminism and individuality for frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie, while remaining true to the nostalgic sound of Pale Waves’ previous indie-pop hits.

“‘You Don’t Own Me’ is a song for women about what it’s like to be a woman in this world. How society depicts, judges, and criticizes women on a daily basis,” explains Baron-Gracie on the new single. “This song is incredibly important to me and I wanted to represent my own experiences,” also expression her struggle with “everyone that plays by these fake, delusional rules that say women and gender need to fit inside a specific box.”

Listen to “You Don’t Own Me” here:

Who Am I? will be Pale Waves’ second album, following the success of My Mind Makes Noises, which was co-produced by fellow Dirty Hit musician, Matty Healy of The 1975. The upcoming album was largely recorded in a Los Angeles studio before the pandemic.

Who Am I? is a highly-anticipated release aiming to inspire individuality, self-discovery and inclusivity. Baron-Gracie explains, “for me, music and art is for people not to feel so alone and isolated. I want to be that person my fans look up to and find comfort in.” The album will be out from February 12 and is available for preorder here.

Photo credit: Mauricio Alvarado