Pillow Queens

Pillow Queens, from Dublin, Ireland, formed in 2016. The band released a series of singles, honing their craft and working towards their first album, 'In Waiting' (2020). Along the way there has been acclaim from UK and American press, many sold-out gigs and an appearance on James Corden’s US TV show. After signing with Canada’s Royal Mountain Records, they released a follow-up album, 'Leave the Light On' in 2022, touring the UK, US and Europe extensively, including shows at Austin’s SXSW and supporting Phoebe Bridgers in Glasgow. Three albums in three years indicates a serious work ethic, for 2023's 'Name Your Sorrow' they stuck to a strict schedule. Cathy McGuinness explains that they showed up every day from 9-5, in a windowless Dublin room to just play, swap instruments and experiment. From there, they decamped to a rural Co. Clare retreat to immerse themselves further. An unlikely touchstone for this record was ‘Atlantis’, a poem by Irish poet Eavan Boland. Amid a swell of language, the poet searches for a specific word; “to convey that what is gone is gone forever and never found.” This quest defines the intense experiences that run through the album. It’s there in each pocket of heartbreak, every hazy chorus of loss. The songs are a map of hurt and longing, of second-guessing and desire, the title of the record is based on a line from the poem. The band believe it’s a more “blatant” album emotionally; not that they haven’t been this truthful before. But there was always metaphor to fall back on, oscillations of noise to hide behind. 'Name Your Sorrow' is a more exposed record: no masks, no obliqueness, just a raw, open landscape of feeling.