Dublinâs Pillow Queens are often talked about as a band brimming with positivity but, when NME joins half of the band on Zoom to talk about their debut album âIn Waitingâ, theyâre feeling less sunny than you might expect. âIâm not feeling too fresh today,â singer, guitarist and bassist Sarah Corcoran sighs, recalling the night before spent in âback-to-backâ pubs as they entertained various members of the press. âWe may as well go hard though.â
Going hard is something she, drummer Rachel Lyons â whoâs also on the call, sat in a darkened room, hoodie pulled over her head â lead guitarist Cathy McGuinness and vocalist, guitarist and bassist Pamela Connelly have made their speciality since forming the band in 2016. They tour hard, play hard and work hard, still juggling day jobs so they can afford to survive and do the thing they love.
âThereâs one time that really sticks out in my memory,â Corcoran says, prefacing a story that will make you exhausted just listening to it. Booked solid with their own UK tour, Irish support dates with Two Door Cinema Club and a trip to New York, the multi-instrumentalist still fitted in shifts at her events job back in Dublin between shows. âI had to get a really early morning flight home from Scotland so that I could work all day then play with Two Door Cinema Club,â she explains, noting she repeated that cycle of travel, work and performance for three days before heading off to the States. Itâs no wonder that she says sheâs the most well-rested sheâs been now gigs are off the table.
All of the four-pieceâs tireless work over the last four years has seen them grow into a force to be reckoned with, gradually progressing from the promise of early EPs âCalm Girlsâ (2016) and âState Of The Stateâ (2018). âIn Waitingâ bears all the hallmarks the band showed on those first releases â surging, infectious indie melodies, big gang vocals and, yes, that current of positivity â but feels more fully realised and accomplished than ever.
When they were making the album, the groupâs focus was on how the songs would translate live. âWe were definitely thinking about playing bigger stages, bigger audiences, new audiences, new countries,â says Corcoran. The pandemic, though, has forced them to look at the record from a new angle and, subsequently, consider themselves as more than a live band.
âWe have to focus more on what the spirit of the album is more than just its energy,â she explains. âWhatâs the passion behind it? Weâve realised itâs actually a thoughtful piece of work â itâs not just leaning on the live buzz, it does work in a more intimate setting.â
Although that might not have been clear to Pillow Queens themselves before touring came to a halt, it will be immediately obvious to anyone who presses play on âIn Waitingâ. Itâs a record that ushers you in with its rousing energy but then keeps you hooked with poetic, intriguing lyricism and exhilarating, bright sounds. When you dig into deeper, it unveils a host of thought-provoking subjects to occupy your mind.
On the â90s-tinged âHandsome Wifeâ, they commit to their own way of living, free from societyâs expectations of growing up and settling down. âMy sister is gay and sheâs married to her wife and they have a beautiful baby together,â explains Corcoran. âThey have a car, house, full-time jobs, all the rest. Itâs a really traditional household despite the fact theyâre gay and Iâm like, âShould I be more like that? Why am I in a band? I should have a real jobâ.â
âIt is a real job!â interjects Lyons. When her bandmate retorts that it would pay money if it was, she concedes, but adds with a groan: âReal jobs are boring.â
The gradually building âHoly Showâ tells a story of regret and insecurity, its chorus asking: âIf you remember a thing about it/Tell me that itâs not that badâ. For its video, the band worked with director Kate Dolan to create visuals that take back the depiction of queer women in pop culture from the male gaze. âItâs so rare to see that [story] directed by a queer woman from a queer womanâs perspective,â says Corcoran. âThere are tiny snippets of that music video thatâs like a look and itâs so familiar â youâve had the look, youâve given the look, but itâs like âOh my god, Iâve never seen that look on TV before everâ.â
Although their songs arenât politically outspoken, Pillow Queens say their existence as a band has been âsubconsciouslyâ effected by forming in a time of great change in Irish society. In 2015, the country held a referendum that resulted in same-sex marriage being legalised, while protests demanding the repeal of an abortion ban grew until the law was changed in 2018.
Corcoran remembers it as a gateway for Irelandâs young people who werenât previously âmassively engaged in politicsâ, while Lyons campaigned for the marriage referendum. âI wouldnât say Iâm very political,â the drummer says. âSometimes Iâm terrible but those social issues you just didnât have to think about it â it was like, âWe all have a voice and weâre going to use itâ.”

The band put that statement quite literally into action earlier this year when they joined the Irish Women In Harmony project, covering The Cranberriesâ âDreamsâ to raise money for domestic abuse charity SafeIreland. Itâs the kind of thing they say theyâd like to do more of in the future too. âIt would be amazing if we could,â says Corcoran, noting the band have a history of doing charity gigs. âItâs just about having that wider audience you can reach.â
In the meantime, after heading back to bed to nurse their hangovers, Pillow Queens are looking forward to a time when they can get back on the road. âThereâs loads of places we havenât yet gone that weâd love to go and thereâs loads of artists weâd love to tour with,â Corcoran says. When that time eventually comes, expect the group to do what they do best and go very hard.
Pillow Queens’ debut album ‘In Waiting’ is out now. Pictures by Faolan Carey
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