Graeme Naysmith, the strumming heart behind the dream-pop ensemble Pale Saints, left us on April 4. The news came straight from the band’s record label, 4AD, though they kept mum about his age and what led to his departure from this world.
Pale Saints, hailing from Leeds in the twilight of the ’80s, initially dabbled in the jangly tunes of indie-pop. Yet, they didn’t stay put for long. By their 1989 debut EP, Barging Into the Presence of God, they were already weaving the ethereal textures that dream-pop and shoegaze fans would come to adore. Their first full-length album, The Comforts of Madness, dropped in 1990 and got a fresh coat of paint with a reissue in 2020, solidifying their signature blend of sonic beauty and chaos. With each subsequent release, including 1992’s In Ribbons and 1994’s Slow Buildings, they kept pushing boundaries, even as they called it quits in ’96. Naysmith, though, stayed in touch with 4AD, lending a hand with the band’s recent reissues.
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Ivo Watts-Russell, the brain behind 4AD, couldn’t hide his admiration for Naysmith’s guitar prowess. “He wasn’t just any musician; he dared to solo when others hesitated,” Watts-Russell reflected. In a heartfelt tribute, he urged us all to crank up “Henry” from Slow Buildings, a track that encapsulates the essence of Naysmith’s talent. “When I got the news, I was swept away by a wave of nostalgia and gratitude,” he confessed, hinting at the mixed emotions of joy and grief the song stirred in him. And, in a nod to the raw power of music, he added, “Needless to say… play it loud!” Imagining the void left behind, especially for Chris Cooper, the drummer and a close friend of Naysmith, Watts-Russell expressed his deepest sympathies.
