When Chvrches released their lead single "Leave a Trace," from their new album Every Open Eye, lead singer Lauren Mayberry boldly proclaimed the track as, "the middle finger mic-drop." In the blistering kiss-off, Mayberry took a stand against a dreadful romance, telling the person with conviction: "Take care to bury all that you can / Take care to leave a trace of a man." Mayberry's fired up sentiments here aren't the only mic drop to be found among Every Open Eye's 11 urgent tracks.
Every Open Eye comfortably expands on the synth-pop landscape that they carved out on their 2013 debut, The Bones of What You Believe. There's an assertiveness and confidence to Chvrches' approach now, as evidenced by explosive opener "Never Ending Circles" and the Depeche Mode nod on "Clearest Blue," which show the trio of Mayberry, Martin Doherty and Iain Cook readily pushing their sounds to new heights and depths. These songs may feature their slickest production yet, but they avoid feeling hollow thanks to Doherty and Cook's keen ear for bridging together disparate elements with laser precision, all while allowing Mayberry's pointed lyrics to come through.
With Mayberry's recent participation in the discussion of misogyny on social media and in music, it's easy to view these songs through the lens of feminism, but it's just one of the many compelling facets of Every Open Eye's overall scope. These are songs about love, but also fighting for what you believe in. On penultimate track "Bury It," Mayberry offers a mantra that succinctly covers it all: "Bury it and rise above."
(Glassnote/Universal)Every Open Eye comfortably expands on the synth-pop landscape that they carved out on their 2013 debut, The Bones of What You Believe. There's an assertiveness and confidence to Chvrches' approach now, as evidenced by explosive opener "Never Ending Circles" and the Depeche Mode nod on "Clearest Blue," which show the trio of Mayberry, Martin Doherty and Iain Cook readily pushing their sounds to new heights and depths. These songs may feature their slickest production yet, but they avoid feeling hollow thanks to Doherty and Cook's keen ear for bridging together disparate elements with laser precision, all while allowing Mayberry's pointed lyrics to come through.
With Mayberry's recent participation in the discussion of misogyny on social media and in music, it's easy to view these songs through the lens of feminism, but it's just one of the many compelling facets of Every Open Eye's overall scope. These are songs about love, but also fighting for what you believe in. On penultimate track "Bury It," Mayberry offers a mantra that succinctly covers it all: "Bury it and rise above."