The racing “Make Them Gold” is a hymn to self-acceptance, tying into the album’s narrative with the sort of genuine positivity that’s refreshing to hear, as well as a (sorry) solid-gold chorus: “We are made of all our mistakes / We are falling but not alone / We will take the best parts of ourselves and make them gold“. Every Open Eye offers no apologies, no caveats, no halfway measures.
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Lauren Mayberry, who wears a short black dress in the video for Leave A Trace, last month found herself the target of sexually offensive comments – and she fought back, taking a bold stance against online misogyny and bullying. It may not be the valedictory finish an album as colossal-sounding as this could benefit from, but it works wonderfully as an epilogue and is one of the most lovely songs in their catalog to date.
Chvrches’ fans can look forward to a lot more new music from the band at the upcoming show, which will feature tunes from the new album, which Mayberry says they worked hard on to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump.
Chvrches are streaming their superb second album “Every Open Eye” in full, ahead of its 25th September release. Each track retains the characteristics of the album as a whole: catchy beat, high energy and a surprising bit of punk attitude. Mayberry’s lyrics are vulnerable and welcoming; what they lack in specificity they make up in an inhabitable yearning, whether it’s for release or independence or simply something better. She has no time for regrets and cannot be touched by the negativity or the interference of others.
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Since they arrived on the scene in late 2012, the Scottish trio CHVRCHES have made a name for themselves as one of the most exciting acts to come out of the synthpop revival. The quality is consistent throughout, with every facet improved. Perfectly polished track after track deliver the equivalent of musical caffeine straight to the bloodstream. Where the band’s fellow ’80s pop scholars use the decade’s velveteen tones to play up the decadence of isolation, the Glaswegian trio’s debut The Bones Of What You Believe mined starker British sounds – the brittle strafe of Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys’ airy erudition – to underscore the cold truth of failing relationships.
