Take me to chvrch
The keyboard-based indie trio impress with veteran sound on their first album.
March 27, 2014
Before the question even escapes your lips, it’s a Roman “u”. Educate yourself, heathen. Other than informing listeners about an ancient culture’s alphabet, the noticeable “v” allows Chvrches to actually pop up on an Internet search instead of being lost in the multitude of local places of worship. The same can be said about the band itself– in just over a year Chvrches has popped up on the music scene and made quite the name for themselves.
The Scottish trio consists of lead singer Lauren Mayberry and two keyboardists/singers by the name of Martin Doherty and Iain Cook. The band relies on nothing but edgy keyboards and the crystallized voice of Mayberry (seriously, her vocal chords should be insured). This results in the band’s arguably most defining quality of their sound– simplicity.
Chvrches’ one and only album thus far, “The Bones Of What You Believe,” is probably the best thing to come out of Scotland since penicillin (shout out to Alexander Fleming, you da bomb). As soon as the album’s first song, “The Mother That We Share”, commences, I fell in love with their uniqueness. (I wish we really did share a mother, then maybe I’d have that kind of talent, too). I knew right off the bat that Chvrches was doing their own thing, I couldn’t even compare them to another group, or describe their sound without sounding stupid — and I like that.
Disclaimer: The first two songs on the album are labeled explicit, so you freshman may have to pass this one up, sorry guys. However, Ms. Mayberry sings the words with such beauty she makes them sound like words your mother would be proud to hear you say. The first two songs are also my favorite tracks on the album, mostly because of the poppy energy that continues on to stand unparalleled throughout the rest of the album.
The only drawback of finding a great sound that works for you is the struggle to eventually deviate from it. Too much of anything almost will always result in burnout, and I’m afraid distractible listeners like myself might grow tired of the apparent repetitiveness of the tracks. I found myself listening less and less to the lyrics as I worked my way through the album and instead starting to allow it to fade into background music while I cranked out calculus.
If I had any say in the band’s next album, (and Chvrches LOVES their fans), I would simply suggest switching up the sound every now and then to keep listeners on their toes. All in all, I expect great things to come from this group in the future and am awaiting to see what route they go with their sophomore album.