Every Open Eye
Virgin/Glassnote
CHVRCHES and lead singer Lauren Mayberry have been squished
between two pressures since their massive hit debut record, “The Bones of What
You Believe”. First there is the enormous pressure that follows a strong debut.
Lauren Mayberry even expressed in her most recent interview with Corin Tucker
that she would be sick if one more interviewer asked her about the pressure of
the sophomore record. The second is the
unbearable misogyny that Mayberry has been forced to endure and bravely fight
from “fans”, critics, and the music industry as a whole. The Glasgow trio’s
first record was a synth-pop masterpiece that also had tracks with a striking
new-wave influence. In terms of the recording process the band didn’t do much differently.
They stayed in Glasgow, rather than opting for London. They recorded the new album
“Every Open Eye” in the same basement studio that the first record was crafted
in. All the band asked the record label for was, “just about every synth we’ve
ever wanted.” The result is a record that sounds a bit more poppy than the
debut, but is almost as great.
All the tracks on “Every Open Eye” are filled with big synth
pop melodies and most feature Lauren Mayberry’s irresistible vocal charm. Most
of these tracks are catchy, empowering, and even anthemic at times. One of the original
singles ahead of the record, “Clearest Blue” perfectly encompasses this.
Mayberry’s vocals fit the backdrop created by Ian Cook and Martin Doherty so
well that any other singer on this track is simply unimaginable. Mayberry
delivers the lines from which the album gets its name with such conviction that
the listener should be hanging on every word. The synths just boom on this
track so well that it simply feels wrong not to move your body to it. Mayberry
sounds more empassioned by her words than ever before which creates an
infectious feeling. The other major highlight of this record is “Playing Dead”.
This is without a doubt one of the best tracks CHVRCHES has recorded and already
feels like a timeless pop song featuring vocals that see Lauren Mayberry
soaring higher than ever with lyrics of doubt in her lover’s responsibility over
her. “If I give more than enough ground will you claim it?..” is a brutally
relatable and honest feeling. This is an album of peaks and when the band is on
they sound like the best synth-pop act out today.
Where the record becomes less enjoyable is in its overall
tone. It seems like all the tracks are trying to do the same thing. There is
not much variety. Ian Cook claims they wanted the record to sound spacious, but
there isn’t really enough space to fit all the synth heavy production. It
sounds as though CHVRCHES is trying to cram one sound down our throats although
that one sound is something they are very good at. What makes “The Bones of
What You Believe” a better record than this one is its variety. The slower
new-wave tracks gave the more maximal pop heavy tracks room to be effective. Another
thing that seems missing is the tracks sung by Martin Doherty. He only gets one
track on this record as opposed to the two he had on the debut a long with more
appearances as a backup vocalist. I enjoy Doherty’s rather conventional but
passionate vocal style over the darker production. It acts as a nice catalyst
to Mayberry’s high-pitched almost overly sweet and sugary vocals. The Doherty
tracks just make that record feel a bit more robust and different than a
conventional pop record.
Thankfully for CHVRCHES there is no sophomore slump here.
There are plenty of great pop tunes that are engaging. Lauren Mayberry sounds
as scintillating as ever in front of production that suits her even if the
formula begins to feel a bit too similar by the end. With “Every Open Eye”
CHVRCHES turn in a very satisfying product from a musical standpoint while
Lauren Mayberry continues to prove herself as an emerging songwriter.
7/10
-
TJ Kliebhan
Listen to the single "Clearest Blue" below.
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