The name of the Glaswegian electro-pop band sounds forbidding. ‘CHVRCHES’ hints at yet another hipster pop band avoiding the mainstream with their culturally bankrupt spellings, and therefore bound to have limited success and a cult following. Supported by a lack of biography and few announcements prior to the release of the track ‘Lies’ last summer, the trio had an element of mystique or ‘cloak and dagger’ appeal to them. Despite limited media attention, CHVRCHES came fifth on the BBC’s New Year’s poll of tune makers, and supported fellow indie bands: Two Door Cinema Club, Passion Pit and Depeche Mode. CHVRCHES, having been compared to Grimes or a hyperactive Ellie Goulding, caused festivals on both sides of the Atlantic to offer the trio slots to play this summer.
Lauren Mayberry fronts the band with a sickly-sweet, angelic voice, which is sometimes piercing, yet still delicate and beautiful amongst synths and pop-hooks that burrow into our minds. Nothing short of magnificent, CHVRCHES establish forceful pop songs in hurricanes of limitless and godless energy; ‘Recover’ is the first and standout track on the EP with Mayberry’s vocals arching over pitter-patters, RnB bass elements and 80s influenced synthesisers. Multiple interrogatives display her confusion, desperation, or possibly plain naïve nature in a failing relationship, sounding almost precocious with Mayberry’s falsetto childlike voice. That said, when played loud, the vocals are lost amongst the pounding, colossal bass, and this is the band’s one downfall; the sea of professionally layered synthesisers and pop beats are sometimes too matched to Mayberry’s voice, causing the vocals to become lost or masked during the chorus.
‘ZVVL’ begins where ‘Recover’ leaves off. Iain Cook’s vocals are established as the main presence during this track; where Mayberry’s vocals are naturally shrill and cute, Cook’s voice is monotone and lethargic. Warped by computers, his voice wouldn’t sound too out of place on the latest Daft Punk record ‘Random Access Memories’, and electronic chimes alongside pounding dance/bass beats carries on the 80’s inspired sound. The synthesisers don’t have as much of an impact as they do in ‘Recover’, but they stop the song becoming overpowering alongside the relentless bass beats. The track becomes slightly repetitive towards the end of the track, but stops at the appropriate point before it becomes boring and slightly frustrating. ‘Now Is Not The Time’ is slower paced than the previous songs, and Mayberry’s vocals sound slightly deflated and softer in utterances; refreshing after the previous full-on and dance inspired songs, yet charming and cute, still. Electronic hooks and pop beats are still present in the slower paced track, and it gives the impression of a mature approach to their same style.
Two remixes of Recover bring the EP round to a close. Not sounding too different from the original, yet still completely original, the remixes are energetic, atmospheric and airy. Lifting the original track to new levels, the remixes create dreamy aesthetics but do not come close to the dark dreamscapes that Crystal Castles or White Ring dominate. Electronic and bass-crammed ambiences overshadow the vocal presence during the latter part of the EP, yet still sounding true to CHVRCHES’ sound.
Acting as a teaser for their future debut album ‘The Bones Of What You Believe’, the Recover EP captures CHVRCHES’ delicately produced, electronic energy and dramatic soundscapes into three tracks and two remixes; CHVRCHES have put their destiny in their own hands to potentially become one of the biggest electronic acts during the next year.
Check out the single 'Recover' below.
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