CHVRCHES
The Bones of What You Believe
(Virgin/Glassnote)
The Bones of What You Believe comes after a big year for the Scottish electro-pop trio. CHVRCHES (pronounced Churches, not Chuh-verches) quickly became the “it” group in the indie circle this year when they released their Recover EP. With some music videos and TV appearances to follow, the LP became one of the year’s most anticipated debuts.
And it doesn’t disappoint. Very much, at least. It’s true that the best songs on the album are the ones we’ve already heard. The miraculous opener, “The Mother We Share,” the bouncing “Gun,” and the pop perfection of “Recover” are the real stand-outs here. And although all the tracks are solid, some fall more flat than others. The back half of the album is dragged down by slower tempos and less memorable hooks and the songs sung by Martin Doherty, as opposed to Lauren Mayberry, feel out of place and distracting. Whenever she does sing, though, it’s a thing of beauty. Her voice is pure and exciting and fresh, and even on the lesser tracks, there’s something magical about hearing her sing.
The Bones of What You Believe is a strong debut, and shows the trio’s skills as pop songwriters. Ultimately, it’s not the year’s best or most groundbreaking album, and it’s probably less than what we all expected, but as a set of lush electro-pop songs, it is a very good effort. CHVRCHES will surely continue to grow and improve, and their next LP will certainly be one to look forward to.
