Crossfade Reviews: Chvrches "Screen Violence"

 by Karl W.

CHVRCHES "Screen Violence"
[EMI/Glassnote]
Synth Pop/Indie Pop

    Glasgow-based synth pop band CHVRCHES have been gaining critical acclaim and a cult following over the past decade, especially with their first two albums. "The Bones of What You Believe" was a bombshell of a debut that showcased an eclectic synth pop band with a powerhouse vocalist in Lauren Mayberry, and "Every Open Eye" was a great step forward with CHVRCHES only improving their craft with great hooks and production. However, their efforts in 2018 have been...peculiar; a play for the mainstream by working with big name producers for their third album "Love Is Dead", as well as big pop singles with producers like Marshmello. It's wasn't terrible, per say, but the efforts have felt like a rather obvious pivot to the mainstream by sacrificing the homemade feel of their first two albums. It made me weary of their future, though the premise of their new album had intrigued me. A horror-themed synth pop album sounded interesting from a band like CHVRCHES, who've always played more in the poppy side of their genre. That, plus the fact that this album was to be self-produced once again after the Greg Kurstin produced "Love Is Dead" also helped with that promise. 

    Well, that promise paid off in spades and even further. "Screen Violence" is not just a great return to form with its own distinct feel from other CHVRCHES releases, but also among one of the best albums of the year in 2021. I'd argue it is just about as good as their first two albums, both of which have been standouts in their respective years. However, "Screen Violence" is great in a way that's a bit different than their first two releases, namely in its iconography and its sound, that seems to be inspired by horror tropes and a more goth-tinged alternative rock in the same vein as The Cure (funnily enough, Robert Smith from The Cure appears on "How Not To Drown", the most Cure-sounding song on this album). It draws upon horror imagery from song titles like "Violent Delights" or "Final Girl" to the album art looking like it could fit well as a horror movie poster. The songs are also some of the darkest songs in their discography, especially in the sound as they play in more minor keys and a heavier reliance on the bass on a handful of songs. "Violent Delights" is a lot more frenetic than the other songs, like a song on the fringes as it breaks into the chorus, while "Nightmares" builds into the heaviest song on the album, and arguably all of CHVRCHES catalog, that sounds like it would fit well into the climax of a slasher movie. "How Not To Drown" has a heavier drum beat and minor synth keys that, as I said before, makes it sound like a Cure song (which is a compliment in the highest accord). Admittedly, not all of the experiments work, particularly in the chorus of "He Said, She Said" (an otherwise great song in its own accord). Still, the songs work much more than they don't, and the horror theme is not misplaced whatsoever (despite "Asking For A Friend" and "Better If You Don't" sounding like they could have been placed into one of their earlier albums without much problem).

    This dark, horror theming can be seen in the lyrics as well, where CHVRCHES typical material of strained relationships and expectations upon the woman in the relationship is contorted and dyed with blood. Everything is darker on this album, as bodies drop and dreams of death flood our heroine's mind. The album uses its horror themes to help accentuate the strained or dead relationships as well as expectations of being a woman. "Final Girl" is one of my favorite songs on this album, that mixes the iconography of the final girl, a trope in horror movies of the last girl to be left alive, and ties it in with her expectations as a woman, as well as the expectations of her band and what it means to truly be a part of it. This is complemented well with "Good Girls", which is about setting an example amidst false idols, serving as the other side of the coin to "Final Girls". Then there's "He Said, She Said", all about a possessive, gaslighting boyfriend and Mayberry struggling to keep up with his expectations. Another standout is "California", a song about moving to California but not really finding what you want from it, with the heavy hitter being that you are gonna die in California, whether you have completed what you wanted or not. Yet, the band also look back on "Better If You Don't" where they look back on and respect their roots in Glasgow, with a little bit of longing, but with the sensation of knowing it's best to move on. Like the end of a slasher movie, despite the trail of blood you witnessed, you still move on after it all.

    Honestly, I'm not let down by this release at all. CHVRCHES knocks it out of the park yet again after a small trip in the path with their last release. "Screen Violence" shows a new step forward for the band, experimenting with new sounds while not sacrificing what makes them CHVRCHES. It's easily one of the best albums I've heard all year and highly worth a recommendation. (Also, if this isn't enough to entice you, John Carpenter himself made a remix of the song "Good Girls". Yes, really.)

Best Songs: "Asking For A Friend", "California", "Violent Delights", "How Not To Drown" ft. Robert Smith, "Final Girl", "Good Girls", "Nightmares"
Worst Song: "He Said, She Said"

9/10 (Amazing)