Album review: Chvrches’ ‘Every Open Eye’

Chvrches’ second record, Every Open Eye, occupies similar emotional terrain, but this time, Mayberry isn’t interested in the spoils of revenge. UnderTheRadar caught up Ian Cook for a chat about the new record, critic’s reviews, working with Lorde, and their upcoming appearance at Laneway… Mayberry’s fired up sentiments here aren’t the only mic drop to be found among Every Open Eye’s 11 urgent tracks. Two years spent touring has gone a long way towards helping them find themselves and put to rest the hesitancy that bogged down parts of their debut.

Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches is gearing up to release its sophomore studio album on Friday.

In an age in which it’s nearly impossible to drown out the noise, CHVRCHES took a deep breath following the breakthrough success of Bones, and that quiet beat brought them clarity. Sure, its lyrics lay bare romantic misadventures (“You talk far too much for someone so unkind / I will wipe the salt off of my skin, and I’ll admit that I got it wrong / And there is grey between the lines“), but it’s a break-up song on what is categorically not a break-up album. A second single, “Never Ending Circles”, followed in August. With that done, it’s onward and upward to better things, and moments of euphoria that eclipse any previous work. We were conscious when starting to make this album that we really needed to block out as much of that stuff as possible.

It’s easy to read Every Open Eye as a defiant statement of self-reliance, rising above the bullshit of criticism to live an unfettered life. “Clearest Blue“, a call to compromise and mutual support, is the album’s finest example of this, riding a percussive buildup reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” to a momentous climax that serves as a euphoric ode to a relationship’s mutually beneficial give and take. It’s a stirring closer, and a hint, perhaps, that the next album will take some more chances.