Chvrches
Chvrches (stylised CHVRCHΞS and pronounced "Churches") are a Scottish synth-pop band from Glasgow, formed in September 2011.[1] The band consists of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, Martin Doherty[2] and, unofficially since 2018, Jonny Scott.[3] Mostly deriving from the synth-pop genre, Chvrches also incorporate indietronica, indie pop, and electronic dance into their sound.
Chvrches
Two years after their formation, Chvrches released Recover EP in March 2013, which included hits "The Mother We Share" and "Recover". Their debut studio album, The Bones of What You Believe, was released on 20 September 2013, while the band was ranked fifth on the Sound of 2013 list by the BBC.[4] Two years later, on 25 September 2015, the group released their second album, Every Open Eye. Their third album, Love Is Dead, was released on 25 May 2018. Their fourth album, Screen Violence, was released on 27 August 2021.
History[edit]
Origins and formation[edit]
In 2003, musicians Iain Cook and Martin Doherty met as students at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.[5] Doherty was a member of the band Julia Thirteen, and asked Cook to produce the band's 2006 extended play (EP) With Tired Hears.[5][6] Although Julia Thirteen never recorded any further material, the experience proved vital, as Cook and Doherty formed a mutual interest in eventually starting their own project.[5] A few years later, Doherty joined Cook as a member of Aereogramme, but the band broke up in 2007 due to a lack of exposure.[6][7] After the dissolution of Aereogramme, Doherty then became a touring member for the band the Twilight Sad, but quit in 2012 after he grew tired of playing someone else's music. He had planned to retrain as a history teacher before reconnecting with Cook, and the two formed the music project that would eventually become Chvrches.[8]
A few years after Aereogramme broke up, Cook took an interest in the electronic sound of the band Emeralds. Cook bought a Minimoog Voyager and began "playing around with soundscapes and stuff like that ... kind of with a view of doing stuff from the '80s".[9] In September 2011, he produced an EP for the band Blue Sky Archives, and asked the band's vocalist and drummer Lauren Mayberry if she would be interested in singing backing vocals for an electronic music project he and Doherty were working on. Mayberry was intrigued by the offer, as neither of them had any background in electronic music. "For me it was nice to write over different instruments and not have to try to sing and scream over live drums and a Marshall bass stack," said Mayberry.[10]
The three musicians quickly bonded, and spent the next few months writing and recording songs in a basement studio.[10][11] During these sessions, Mayberry wrote the lyrics and hooks, Doherty provided melodic ideas, and Cook produced the songs.[10] Once the sessions had concluded, the three decided that they worked well enough together to try and perform the songs as a band.[12] The initial plan was to have Doherty sing lead vocals, while Mayberry would sing backing vocals. Mayberry was eventually promoted to lead vocalist after Cook and Doherty heard her singing abilities.[12] In addition to her new role, Mayberry became the band's frontwoman, and gave the other members a reading list about the inner workings of the music industry.[13]
The band members settled on the name Chvrches (stylised as CHVRCHΞS), which uses the Roman letter "v" instead of a "u". This spelling was chosen to differentiate themselves from actual churches in online search results.[14] There was no conscious decision to have a name with religious connotations; instead, the band members felt that the name gave "a strong vibe that could be interpreted in many different ways".[11] Mayberry also noted that the v is a subtle nod to band names from the influential witch house genre of music, including bands such as SALEM and Ritualz. "We did consider putting upside down crosses at either side of our name, but that would have dated us, I think" said Mayberry.[15]
Musical style[edit]
Known for their clean sound, Chvrches' music style is usually tagged as synth-pop,[22][95][96][97][98][99] electropop,[95][4][100][101][102] pop,[79][103][104][105] indie pop,[97][106][107] indietronica,[108][109] electronic rock,[110] indie rock,[59] alternative pop,[22] electronica,[111] and electronic.[96][112] Neon Gold described their sound as "a godless hurricane of kinetic pop energy". Kitty Empire of The Observer wrote they "make accessible electro-pop that's only just short of truly brilliant".[95] Wired noted following Every Open Eye's release that the album "cements the group as today's heir apparent to Depeche Mode, New Order, and other titans of British electronic music."[43]
The band stated that their heroes were David Bowie,[113] Depeche Mode,[113][114][115][116] Iggy Pop,[113] Siouxsie and the Banshees,[113] Tangerine Dream,[113] and Nick Cave.[113] They have also been influenced by acts such as the Cure,[116] Brian Eno,[116][117] Madonna,[115] Eurythmics,[118] the National,[118] Throbbing Gristle,[119] Prince,[4][114][119] Tubeway Army,[120][121] Robyn,[114] Lil Wayne,[120] Laurie Anderson,[120][119] Kate Bush,[114][115][119] The Knife,[114] Florence and the Machine,[114] Cocteau Twins,[121] Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,[122] Deftones,[123] Cyndi Lauper,[115] Whitney Houston,[115] My Bloody Valentine,[117] Elliott Smith,[119] and the Prodigy.[117]
Touring musicians