Album of the Week: The Bones of What You Believe, by Chvrches
In an autumn filled with female-fronted electropop releases both big (Katy Perry, Lady Gaga) and smaller (Icona Pop), the debut from Scottish trio Chvrches might get lost.
Chvrches
Glassnote
4 stars
In an autumn filled with female-fronted electropop releases both big (Katy Perry, Lady Gaga) and smaller (Icona Pop), the debut from Scottish trio Chvrches might get lost. It shouldn't: The Bones of What You Believe is an assured and sober album of synthetic pop that's set apart from their peers' four-four barrage. But it's still rousing, arena-ready fun.
Singer Lauren Mayberry is an obvious draw - her light burr, endearing profanities and ear for room-shaking melodies make this the rare electro record that could sound just as good played on a lone piano. But producers Iain Cook and Martin Doherty have found prime sonic terrain somewhere amid the cosmic crush of M83, the limber bounce of Depeche Mode and the skittery drum machines of peers such as Purity Ring.
Early blog-bait singles such as The Mother We Share and Recover sound even better with the album's big-budget spit shine; Gun and Lies will probably join their ranks. As the air turns cooler and the skies go greyer, the rave kids are going to need a comedown, and the rest of us need some immersive, sad-eyed headphone jams. This record should do the trick for everyone.