After a long two years following their debut album, CHVRCHES have wowed us yet again with their juicy new project Every Open Eye, a brand new 12 track sophomore album featuring the band in all of their synth-pop glory.
CHVRCHES’ first album, The Bones of What You Believe, gained huge critical acclaim and launched the then humble, up and coming group from Glasgow onto the stage of festivals such as Splendour in the Grass, Lollapalooza, Coachella and a plethora of others.
Every Open Eye very much retains CHVRCHES’ signature booming beat and airy lead synthesisers but develops the band’s style further. The production by CHVRCHES in Every Open Eye doesn’t deviate from the precedent set The Bones of What You Believe and the layering, effects and large scale production quality really encapsulates CHVRCHES’ signature sound, but still conveys their brand new material in lyricism and writing.
Just recently CHVRCHES were added to the massive new Laneway Festival 2016 lineup and we’re ecstatic for them to come over once again.
Ultimately at this rate it’s fair to predict CHVRCHES have a long and fruitful career ahead and fans that have waited these two long years won’t be disappointed as the band have kept their roots but expand to braver and newer things. After listening to Every Open Eye, here are six things we learnt.
CHVRCHES Know Their Sound
When we met CHVRCHES back in 2013, they were so exciting because they really had something that most other electronic indie acts didn’t. Their unique fusion of pop, electronic and even the smallest hint of rock and roll music created their own sort of niche to be proud of. This was obviously a success as their debut album sold over 500,000 copies worldwide.
CHVRCHES have hit the nail on the head with their style and consistency. Though some people might associate consistency with mediocrity and lazy writing but in the case of CHVRCHES the space that they carved for themselves and their unique style is unmatched meaning they are free to explore that rabbit hole and see through to where at takes them.
Three Writing Heads Are Better Than One
CHVRCHES is comprised of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty which perfectly explains why they can write such tasty tunes. As a colective unit CHVRCHES have got it down with some of the three best songwriters in the indie pop right now.
[include_post id=”459635″]With each of them playing multiple instruments, CHVRCHES offers a radical collaborative effort to write a vast range killer tunes. Prior to CHVRCHES, Lauren used to play drums and keyboard in a band called Blue Sky Archives and Iain played guitar for a band called Aerogramme and to this day plays for alt. rock band The Unwinding Hours. Martin, the silent handyman of the group, plays keyboard, sampler and guitar while also singing lead and backup vocals in CHVRCHES.
This team of versatile musicians really make CHVRCHES as a band able to inspire each other to unlock their full potential, which they are currently doing.
Lauren Mayberry Is A Modern Day Indie Icon
Frontwoman, singer, songwriter, producer, keys and drum player Lauren Mayberry is our idol right now. Lauren is a prime example of what the indie music scene needs. Of course not to discredit to Iain and Martin but Lauren’s position as both a the frontwoman of CHVRCHES and vocal campaigner against sexist and often very misogynistic behaviour towards female acts in the music industry is an inspiration.
Stories like this should be standard and not something to write about but nevertheless we are very happy to have a lovely and extremely talented lady in the spotlight.
Basslines Are Roaring And Electronic Horns Are Blaring
One standout feature on the album is the fantastic bass rumble and high-end synth production. Sonically, the album as a whole really packs a punch in the high and low end. The low tones in each song, whether it be the really upbeat tracks like ‘Bury It’ or the slower relaxing tracks such as ‘Afterglow’ CHVRCHES’ production packs a punch in each of the songs.
Those who may have tried their hand at synth should know the difficulty of perfecting each sound so we applaud CHVRCHES on their hard work for each little sound that you can find.
It’s About The Struggle
Everyone knows the key to a good pop song is either love, sex or struggle. Obviously CHVRCHES know this as sometimes things can get a bit gloomy in the lyrical department. Masked by the very upbeat tempo and keys some of the lyrics are quite sorrowful. With titles like ‘Bury it’ and ‘Playing Dead’ you could probably expect some not so upbeat lyrics.
With such a lyric driven album these aspects are quite noticeable while listening. Even though CHVRCHES are a great band, this doesn’t mean they are immune to the clichés that you find in most pop albums. You can find a lot of “You were” or “It’s not enough” in the album because after all it is pop.
Despite CHVRCHES’ Indie Outfit, It Is Dance And It Is Pop
It’s not to say that pop is bad or that dance music is bland because as you can see here, pop bands can make great albums but over classification of music can really create some confusion. When a song or an album or a band starts being labelled things like indie-dance, nu-discopop, alt. country vibe dance pop then the lines start to be blurred about the real identity and the intention behind the music.
CHVRCHES is a pop band and that’s simply it. Their music is not groundbreaking or experimental but their music is good true pop, and that’s all we ask for.
CHVRCHES’ Every Open Eye is out today via Liberator Music/Goodbye Records
