Pillow Queens
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Pillow Queens are an Irish
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band from
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, formed in 2016. The band is composed of co-lead vocalists Pamela Connolly and Sarah Corcoran (who both swap between playing rhythm guitar and bass), lead guitarist/backing vocalist Cathy McGuinness. The band have been praised for their lyrical content, which often reckons with an
Irish Catholic Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...
upbringing mixed with the band members themselves being openly
LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
. ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' noted that the band "explore the intersection of religion and queerness", while ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' noted that the band "acknowledges the psychological challenge of adapting to even positive social change after a lifetime conditioned in its opposite". The band released their debut album, ''In Waiting'', in 2020. It received critical acclaim, with ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'' deeming it "an emotional masterpiece". A second LP, ''Leave the Light On'', was released in April 2022. Their third full-length, ''Name Your Sorrow'', was released in April 2024 on Royal Mountain Records.


History

Pillow Queens was started by Sarah Corcoran and Pamela Connolly. After leaving their previous bands, the two wanted to go further with their new band, which they decided would consist of four queer women. They were then joined by Cathy McGuinness and Rachel Lyons, who they had known for years. In late 2016, the group released their first demo EP entitled ''Calm Girls''. The release of this record was followed by performances on the Irish festival circuit, including at
Electric Picnic Electric Picnic is an annual arts-and-music festival which has been staged since 2004 at Stradbally Hall in Stradbally, County Laois, Ireland. Overview It is organised by Pod Concerts and Festival Republic, who purchased the majority sh ...
and All Together Now. After the release of their second EP, ''State of the State'', the group performed with the likes of
Pussy Riot Pussy Riot is a Feminism in Russia, Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in the fall of 2011 by the th ...
,
Future Islands Future Islands is an American synth-pop band based in Baltimore, Maryland, comprising Gerrit Welmers (keyboards and programming), William Cashion (bass, acoustic and electric guitars), Samuel T. Herring (lyrics and vocals), and Michael Lowry (pe ...
,
Idles Idles are an English post-punk band formed in Bristol in 2009. The band consists of Adam Devonshire (bass), Joe Talbot (singer), Joe Talbot (vocals), Mark Bowen (guitar), Lee Kiernan (guitar), and Jon Beavis (drums). After spending eight yea ...
and performed in the
IMRO The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; ; ), was a secret revolutionary society founded in the Ottoman territories in Europe, that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1893 in Salonica, it init ...
room at '' Other Voices''. In a mid-2019 interview with
RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
, the band stated that they were in the studio working on their debut LP, tentatively due to be released in mid-2020. On 1 November 2019, Pillow Queens released the single "Brothers", and the accompanying "Brothers (Acoustic)". The band played two further songs from their upcoming album, "Child of Prague" and "Liffey", on 9 November 2019 during a set in
Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...
as part of
Iceland Airwaves Iceland Airwaves is a music festival held annually in November in Reykjavík, Iceland, since 1999. Its main focus is showcasing new music, both Icelandic and international. Background The event is promoted and produced by Iceland Music Export ...
2019. In 2020, their single "Gay Girls" featured on the soundtrack to the Amazon Original Irish film '' Dating Amber''. That year, the band also were part of
Irish Women in Harmony "Dreams" is the debut single of Irish rock band the Cranberries. It was originally released in October 1992, by Island Records, and later appeared on the band's debut album, ''Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?'' (1993). The song reache ...
, an Irish collective of female singers and musicians that recorded a version of "
Dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5–20 minutes, althou ...
" in aid of the charity SafeIreland, which deals with
domestic abuse Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often use ...
which had reportedly risen significantly during the
COVID-19 lockdown During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions), were implemented in numero ...
. The band announced on 10 February 2021 that they had signed to the record label
Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...
's publishing arm and confirmed in August of that year they had begun recording their second LP. The following month, the band released a new single, a re-recorded version of the song "Rats" from their ''Calm Girls'' EP. The band also simultaneously signed to
Royal Mountain Records Royal Mountain Records is a Canadian independent record label and artist-management company, based in Toronto, Canada. The Royal Mountain roster currently consists of more than 30 active artists including Alvvays, Mac DeMarco, and U.S. Girls. Thei ...
. In January 2022, the band announced their second studio album ''Leave the Light On''. Its lead single, "Be by Your Side", was released the same day. A second single, "Hearts & Minds", followed in February. A third single, "No Good Woman" was released in March. The album was released on 1 April 2022. In November 2023, Pillow Queens released the single "Suffer", followed by the announcement of their third LP, ''Name Your Sorrow'', in January 2024. Their album was announced with lead single "Gone" in January 2024. They released two successive singles "Like a Lesson" and "Heavy Pour," with the album releasing on 19 April 2024 on Royal Mountain Records.


Style

The band has broad influences; however, they have been hesitant to define their work as any one genre, in order to avoid being labeled. Pillow Queens have been described by ''Paste'' magazine as having a "sonic palette" crossed with "ragged-edged" guitars, combined with "smooth harmonies".


Members

* Sarah Corcoran – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, bass * Cathy McGuinness − lead guitar, backing vocals * Pamela Connolly – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, bass Rachel Lyons, who provided drums and backing vocals, left the band in November 2024. In an Instagram post from the band's account, they stated that she had decided to step away from the band to pursue a different career.


Discography


Studio albums


Extended plays


Singles


References


External links

* {{authority control Irish rock music groups Irish indie rock groups Irish alternative rock groups Musical groups from Dublin (city) Musical groups established in 2016 Specialist Subject Records artists LGBTQ-themed musical groups 2016 establishments in Ireland Irish all-female bands All-female rock bands Royal Mountain Records artists