Feeling that the music they were making had a shared identity, they decided to record an album and brought in James Ford to help flesh out the production.

[4] As both Dougall and Coxon are Pisceans and their complicated feelings towards Britain inspired their music with numerous references in the lyrics to water and sea, they decided to call themselves The Waeve using the old English spelling.

[5] On 20 April 2022, The Waeve officially went public by announcing that they would be playing their first live show and releasing their debut single, "Something Pretty", the following month.

[11][12] BrooklynVegan's Bill Pearis called the song "a danceable widescreen ripper, with a nagging, distinctly Blur-y guitar riff, and it gives Coxon a chance to show off his saxophone skills too",[11] and NME's Liberty Dunworth said the duo "hone in on their already-signature sound, and capture a bold, sultry chorus.

The Waeve have cited Sandy Denny, John and Beverley Martyn, Kevin Ayers and Van der Graaf Generator as reference points for their debut album.