Photo: Press
There's been an almighty hype building around Chvrches' sophomore effort, and waves of misogyny directed at lead singer Laura Mayberry. But, there comes a point when you have to drown out the background noise and get down to business: the music.
With that in mind it’s encouraging to hear Mayberry sing the lines, “I’ll go my way if I’m going at all”, on the opening track of Every Open Eye. 'Never Ending Circles' landed last month to a rapturous response, and if the aforementioned lyric is anything to go by - it’s a welcome statement of intent.
The album rarely gives you a moment to take breath, and slips straight into another compulsive tune. ‘Leave a Trace’s’ musings aren’t the usual maudlin rumination on a failed relationship. Somehow, both the insistent synths and defiant vocals lift the track to a bold anthem for the disheartened. It’s got bite.
That's something Chvrches are far from short of, and the albums’ pace is relentless - it's a constant rush of shameless but credible arena-ready power-pop. ‘Keep You On My Side’s’ pounding beat builds into a frenzy fit to fill any dance floor. The lyrics proclaim, “We feel the same/Without restraint/We feel the same/Within our veins”, and quite frankly, you soon will. Resistance is futile.
Chvrches ‘sound’ is a curious one. Their heavy use of synths might suggest a retrograde approach, but the result is far from it. Whilst they are clearly affectionately doffing their caps to series of older bands and influences, they somehow manage to create a sonic landscape that is fresh and clean.
Just as Eurythmics side-stepped the dull and predictable pit falls of pop, so do Chvrches. The band’s foundation of bombastic razor sharp beats and synthesised sounds, as on the already fan favourite Clearest Blue’, are always underpinned by Mayberry’s mellifluous vocals. The result is ballsy pop pleasure with heart.
If Mayberry nails the heart, Martin Doherty delivers soul in spades on ‘High Enough to Carry You Over’. It’s a welcome change of pace: there’s only so much euphoria a person can take in one sitting. Iain Cook creates a lush groove amongst chiming electronics that perfectly complements Doherty’s longing vocal.
It’s one of those moments on the album that make you realise quite how carefully Chvrches have crafted Every Open Eye. It’s only with the benefit of distance that you realise, one of their major accomplishment is delivering top rate joyous electronic pop, and making it seem effortless at the same time.
Nothing ever feels forced, least of all the gorgeous ‘Down Side Of Me’. It's a great example of how Mayberry has developed as a vocalist. It’s also musically interesting and engaging: flinching and flickering percussion frames beguiling swathes of synthesised sound.
The album is full of tracks like ‘Bury It’. The kind that are just begging for a live airing. You can picture it now - the sing along choruses, the joy, the air punching. Oh, and there will be plenty of air punching. Masses of air punching. Guaranteed.
Chrvches have produced an album full of tunes to rival the likes of ‘We Sink’ and ‘The Mother We Share’. More than that, rather than rehash past triumphs, they’ve chosen to expand and improve on the sound they have created to great success. In a period where the hackneyed haughty hipster perspective is more than tired, it’s refreshing to see a band embracing wholeheartedly the glories of popular music.
Long may Chvrches continue to ‘go their way’, the horizon is theirs for the taking.
Tickets for Chvrches' UK tour dates are on sale now. See full dates below. For tickets and more information, click here.
Monday 16 November - Brighton Dome
Tuesday 17 November - Bristol, O2 Academy
Thursday 19 November - Manchester, Albert Hall
Saturday 21 November - Newcastle, O2 Academy
Monday 23 November - Aberdeen, Music Hall
Tuesday 24 November - Dundee, Fat Sam’s
Wednesday 25 November - Birmingham, O2 Academy
Friday 27 November - London, Alexandra Palace (w/ special guest Four Tet)
