Scottish electro-pop trio CHVRCHES have certainly kept busy in the two and a half years since their last release, Every Open Eye, with countless tours and festival appearances around the world. Somehow they also went through the process of creating a whole new record which is out now!
Love is Dead is a record that has CHVRCHES written all over it. They don’t obey to what’s trendy in music at the moment and they continue to stay true to themselves in all aspects of music making. To be engaging to both indie and mainstream audiences is a hard task but they’ve got the formula to do so.
One prominent feature has always been the way they dress the pain of the lyrics into shiny synth melodies, and it’s stronger than ever this time around. Love is Dead is a Treasure Island for those who enjoy dark metaphors and bold song writing. “Graves” is a particularly adventurous listen when it comes to the line, “If you don’t have a heart, I can offer you mine,” and the super upbeat chorus of, “Baby you can look away while they’re dancing on our graves,” quickly became instant favorites.
Another notable quality is how we can separate the record in two halves stylistically: the first part is the vast majority of the record within the boundaries of pure pop music with highlights like “Get Out” and single “Miracle.” Melancholic “My Enemy” (featuring Matt Berninger of The National) is the only song to somewhat break this routine until we arrive to the last four tracks – the experimental half that works as one long outro.
“God’s Plan” transitions the mood like when you arrive to an uneasy, dark moment in a movie (slow motion, pulsing rave in the background preferably) and lyrics of, “Tonight at least we can die in silence,” only play towards this feeling. What follows next is probably the most emotional part of the record with piano interlude, “Really Gone” breaking some hearts – “I’m trying my best to toughen up for these days” – and the angelic masterpiece of “Wonderland” closing the journey. We’re not crying, you are.
Thanks CHVRCHES for taking us to music church from time to time. 😉
