There’s been a bit of buzz going around the Scottish-based band, CHVCHES on the interwebs. With the recent release of their first EP, Recover back in March, and The Mother We Share single back in June, I’ve been anxiously awaiting a full LP from this band. Recover was a good introduction with similarities to Edmonton’s electro-pop duo, Purity Ring. Not quite of the same magnitude when it comes to sound, and artistic direction, but had still packed quite a bit of a punch. The EP had spawned great songs like, “Recover, & “Now Is Not The Time” that had easily found their way to my playlist, and have created alot of promise to follow-up on.
The new album, The Bones Of What You Believe is a “good first official release”, partly due to the fact that the album’s stronger tracks are pulled from the original 2 LP’s. The two that I’m talking about are “The Mother We Share” which gets a bit of a reboot, and I feel it’s a great introduction to what their trying to pitch on this first release. And the other, “Recover”, which hasn’t changed at all, and I kinda like it that way.
The new tracks on the album are a bit of a mix in my excitement. The album’s by-far strongest track is “Gun”, showcasing Lauren Mayberry’s playful vocals, which I find are absolutely cute. Her, chasing vocals with the tempo of the beat on this track is bang on. This track is sure to catch on to the masses, and would love to see it on the soundtracks of many 8-bit indie video games. Further down the tracklist, the album doesn’t change so much in sound, as it does in context. “Tether” & “Under The Side” are songs that would perfectly played alongside with the likes of Deadmau5, but when it jumps to songs such as “Lies” the direction of the album is totally lost on you. The album does seem to pick-up & flow much better later on, especially with the magically driven chorus from “By The Throat”, and than you hit the song, “You Caught The Light” which ends off the album.
Now, let me talk to you about the track, “You Caught The Light”. The song would make for a great instrumental, just toss out the vocals, please. I know they are not Mayberry’s vocals, but the song would do itself so much justice without them. Oh, and I’ll mention you this, this song sounds so much like The Cure’s “Plainsong”. It doesn’t bother me any, cause I don’t think it was intentional, but it’s a kinda neat way to end the album, it’s nostalgic of all things.
