Album Review - CHVRCHES The Bones of What You Believe

The next time someone tries to tell you the album format is dead, I want you to ask that person if they have listened to CHVRCHES' The Bones of What You Believe. If they say no, you can be secure in the knowledge that person has absolutely no idea what they are talking about. That does mean, however, you need to hear this album first. Believe me, you will love what you hear when you do.

CHVRCHES first came to the attention of my ears several months ago via a conversation with composer Sam Hulick on Twitter. Sam shared a couple of YouTube links with me, including one for a song which would become my favorite track by this young Glaswegian trio.

CHVRCHES is comprised of lead vocalist/synth player Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook (synthesizers, guitar, bass, vocals) and Martin Doherty (synthesizers, samplers, vocals). The Bones of What You Believe (out today) is the band's first, full length album. The physical version features a dozen tracks of bright, big beat Electropop, while the deluxe, downloadable edition adds two more originals, a pair of remixes and two videos.

The album opener, "The Mother We Share" is just one of several songs from this album which deserve hit single status. Originally released as the band's first single last year, the track features bright and radio friendly synths and is the first of many examples of the vocal strenghts of Lauren Mayberry.



Track three, entitled "Gun," was released as a single this past summer. This track reaches back to the 80's without wallowing in the decade and comes back with a luscious beat, backed by icy synths and fantastic bass line.



Without a doubt though, my personal favourite track from The Bones of What You Believe is "Lies", with its huge synths, glitch hits and stellar vocals from Mayberry.



Other stand out songs from the album include the ethereal "Tether", the romanticism of the lyrics in the single "Recover" and the album cut "Night Sky" which channels Giorgio Moroder for its hyper-fast bass line.

If these tracks aren't enough to convince you, the full album is available as a stream, courtesy of NPR. (Link no longer active.) Go on, hit play on the tracks above one more time. If after you listen you find yourself getting as caught up in the sound of CHVRCHES as I am, get a physical copy or an official download and make CHVRCHES a regular part of your daily music listening.

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