EP Review: The WAEVE – Eternal; Dark, cinematic, and beautifully unsettling.

The WAEVE’s new EP, Eternal, out this Friday via Transgressive, sees Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall continue their journey into the shadowy corners of modern life, crafting a sound that’s as cinematic as it is unsettling. Across its three tracks, Eternal shifts between pulsing synth-pop, jagged post-punk, and lush orchestration, capturing a sense of yearning, disillusionment, and defiant beauty. Produced by James Ford (Fontaines D.C., Arctic Monkeys), the EP follows their two acclaimed albums, The WAEVE (2023) and City Lights (2024), and offers a distilled yet expansive snapshot of the duo’s evolving musical language.

The lead single, Love Is All Pain, sets the tone with throbbing electronics, shifting tempos, and urgent saxophone interjections that heighten its restless energy. The lyrics speak to the inescapable cycles of love and heartbreak, while chanted refrains contrast with soaring pop melodies, making for an exhilarating listen. It’s the Hope That Kills You is darker still, opening with jagged, industrial-tinged guitar work before unfurling into moments of unexpected beauty. Dougall’s vocals hover over an eerie, skittering beat, with strings flickering around her, while Coxon’s voice later takes a turn under the same lush orchestration. The track expertly plays with contrast—light and dark, tension and release—making it one of the EP’s most compelling moments.

The title track, Eternal, leans more toward classic pop but remains as progressive as its predecessors. With sweeping strings, probing saxophone lines, and alternating lead vocals, it feels both immediate and intricate. Lyrically, the song reflects on the fleeting nature of existence, a recurring theme throughout Eternal—the fragility of human connection, the inexorable march of time, and the moments of beauty that emerge from the wreckage.

With Eternal, The WAEVE continue to carve out their own singular space, merging vintage synth textures with post-punk grit, orchestral grandeur, and deeply evocative songwriting. It’s an EP that thrives on contrasts—intensity and elegance, chaos and control—all wrapped in a soundscape that is both urgent and immersive.