" < Previous Album | Next Album > CHVRCHES – The Bones of What You Believe Chosen and written by Matt Doyle. Another debut album on my list, CHVRCHES started making waves in the summer of 2013 with their infectious synth pop singles of Recover and Gun, but the eventual […]"
THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2013: CHVRCHES – THE BONES OF WHAT YOU BELIEVE
“up front and confident”
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CHVRCHES – The Bones of What You Believe
Chosen and written by Matt Doyle.
Another debut album on my list, CHVRCHES started making waves in the summer of 2013 with their infectious synth pop singles of Recover and Gun, but the eventual release of The Bones of What You Believe proved that there was much more to this band below the surface.
There is no weak track on this album
Pint-sized Lauren Mayberry’s vocals are penetrating and authoritative while still retaining a sweet aura. Rarely are the lyrics so ‘in your face’ in a band of this type, mostly pertaining to being ‘ethereal’ or ‘dreamy’, making this assuredness refreshing. Every aspect of CHVRCHES is up front and confident. Bold euphoric synth progressions are enough to reel the listener in, but subtle vocal samples, inventive and engaging heartfelt lyrics centering on the themes of family and relationship can keep the more insightful listeners hooked.
There is no weak track on this album, as CHVRCHES continuously change up their song architecture, their lead vocalist, their approach to song-writing to ensure that there is no chance of boredom and a comfort zone. This is an album that can be appreciated by any, but has enough substance and quality to keep them coming back.
VERDICT 10/10
Second opinion
Written by Sean May.
Can I revise my original list to include this one in my top five? Everything about CHVRCHES’ debut is just so well-crafted and expertly done. “The Mother We Share” is one of the most perfect pop songs I’ve heard in a very long time, and the way the band fuses traditional pop elements with electronic/hip-hop instrumentation just works so fucking well, I can’t even come up with enough good things to say about it.
It’s incredible to hear a band put out a first album that’s this good. Lauren Mayberry’s vocals are top-notch, and the instrumentation from Iain Cook and Martin Doherty (who also provides vocals for tracks “Under the Tide” and “You Caught The Light”, though his pale in comparison to Mayberry’s)
The Bones of What You Believe soars to places that power pop usually doesn’t, because there’s something deeper, darker here underneath all the shiny production and high energy tracks.
VERDICT 8/10
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Agreed, this is a solid album. I think 10/10 is pretty damn generous though.
I think 10/10 is a little too generous too, but it’s a great album!
I’ll admit that perhaps 10/10 may seem a bit over the top. I just didn’t particularly have any flaw that I could pinpoint, nor any desire to give it a lower score.
It shouldn’t be construed that I think the album is ‘perfect’ or unsurpassable as I wouldn’t be quick to consider any release like that.
I may be more flippant with my tens than others, but I would object moreso to giving it a lower score when I don’t have a specific reason to that I could expand on just to make it more status quo-y.
Cheers for reading!
Yes, I see where you’re coming from. Accessible without dumbing down, catchy, incredibly confident for a debut. Thinking about it, it’s definitely not unreasonable to give this a 10.
I guess I personally rated the album on the cohesiveness, song to song. Standalone, though, all of them could be winners in my book. Excited to see where they go from here.
Also very excited to see where this site will go from here, I love the articles. I’m spreading the word to all of my music loving friends to join. Keep up the good work!