CHVRCHES - Screen Violence

Alternative – Released August 27, 2021 – 10 songs, 43 mins

*****LUNDI’S PICK*****

LUNDI

New music Friday’s come and go. Some with a whimper, some with a bang. From the minute CHVRCHES’ Screen Violence dropped a few Friday’s back I knew I had a new personal favourite on my hands. The Scottish trio has returned with a late summer smash that bites and never backs down. 

The most powerful aspect of Screen Violence is CHVRCHES taking on a darker tone than their previous outings with a majority of the tracks exploring the hardships of lead singer Lauren Mayberry’s life as a woman and the loneliness that accompanies it. Particularly on songs He Said She Said and Good Girls there’s a theme of female empowerment while touching on what Mayberry describes best herself that “being a woman is fucking exhausting.” On Screen Violence CHVRCHES have evolved from the high concept relatable themes of their previous works to an in your face direct personal experience which truly brings this album to another level. 

The production (and I hope my colleague Rozzy validates me here) is also excellently done. Mayberry’s voice is doctored for song enhancement but tastefully to the point that you know she would have no trouble in a live setting belting out lyrics to a sea of thousands. The backing tracks themselves are also very well put together that they grab you from opening track Asking For A Friend and never let go until the last note of Better If You Don’t. Despite the album coming together over video calls and audio sharing programs there never feels like a note is out of place. 

Screen Violence is new school synth pop at its finest led by outstanding vocals and a gorgeous arrangement of synths and drums that cements CHVRCHES as a force in the pop music industry.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Favourite Song: He Said She Said 

ROZ

Ahh synth-pop, we meet again. As I’ve stated in past reviews, this is one of my favorite genres right now and takes up a majority of my casual listening when I’m not digging into an album for Too Sweet Reviews. CHVRCHES is a band that I’ve seen online a lot (and I’ve heard their hits), however this will be my first in-depth album listen so apologies in advance to longtime fans for not referencing their older material.

Lauren Mayberry is a powerhouse – a great singing voice amplified by skilled vocal production (a tasteful amount of autotune coupled with fantastic harmonization by the producer/arranger). Her Scottish roots pierce through the mix which really add a uniqueness to the band’s sound; I always tend to notice how many singers from across the pond lose their regional accents when switching into their singing voice, so I was pleased to see that this was not the case this time. Screen Violence honestly made me feel a little nostalgic; throughout the past decade I’ve had my ear close to the ground when it comes to the electronic music scene, and it seemed as though Screen Violence pays homage to a variety of eras that I enjoyed through the years.

He Said She Said displays a powerful, catchy vocal performance layered over a dubstep beat that could have come straight from the year 2013 (shout out to Nero and Flux Pavillion, the dubstep GOATs). Violent Delights combines dark, hard-hitting lyrics with UK drum and bass, weaving the two seamlessly into one of the best songs on the album. How Not To Drown combines heavy breakbeats, ethereal pads and killer electric guitar with the additional star power of Robert Smith from the Cure, instantly reminding me of David Bowies appearance on Arcade Fires Reflektor (and in my mind, a similar stamp of approval from a legend). Good Girls gives off a definitive pop vibe (which I really could see being a top 40 hit), bringing me to my last point and the cherry on top of it all: after doing some research I learned that not only does CHVRCHES write their own music, they also produce and mix their own stuff too! Love that.

Now, did I love everything on the album? Not exactly. California (what is up with artists using this name lately?) failed to keep my interest for long – at least compared to the absolute jams before it. Final Girl had a nice bass guitar groove but overall seemed a little too generic sounding for my taste. Nightmares, other than giving me t.A.T.u’s All The Things She Said nostalgia, didn’t have much in terms of highlights and made it seem as though the album was really cooling off on the tail end. Thankfully, Better If You Don’t squashed that assumption by stripping out the digital instrumentation and leaning on the acoustic, capping off the entire experience by focusing on Laurens voice front and center. What a closing track!

At the end of the day, Screen Violence blends electronic music and pop together very nicely. Lauren’s unique singing voice combined with the band’s overall talent will be sure to grab the listeners attention from start to finish. This being my first CHVRCHES album, it definitely has me wanting to go back and listen to their earlier ones – in fact I think I’ll do that right now. Nice choice, Lundi!

Overall Rating: 7.7/10

Favourite Song: He Said She Said

REID

Grammar pedantry syndrome (GPS) can be described as extreme annoyance incited by grammatical mistakes. I’m not saying I have a problem but… ok, maybe a little. This week’s band choice is the Scottish trio by the name of CHVRCHES, back with their fourth album, Screen Violence. It’s another new artist for me so let’s see what it has in store.

The experience can be summed up in a word; frustration. If you skip to the final song, Better If You Don’t, you hear Lauren Mayberry’s beautiful voice over a progressively paced guitar with minimal effects. If that song was first up, I’d be excited for the rest. Unfortunately we get her voice doctored more often than not, to the point of annoying. Reviewing albums requires frequent listens and ‘I feel like I’m losing my mind’ listening to He Said, She Said. There’s plenty to like within the 43-minutes but it’s overshadowed by unnecessary effects and over the top synth. It’s difficult to love a song when portions make you want to skip and that feeling can be extrapolated to summarize my thoughts on this album. 

While the songwriting, messages and overall composition are packaged well, it’s not one I’d sign for. CHVRCHES is pronounced like a place of worship I’ve avoided since my early adolescence. I’ll be doing the same with Screen Violence.

Overall Rating - 6.0/10

Favourite Song - Better If You Don’t