The Bones of What You Believe is Chvrches’ first full length album, but they have been impressing Passion Pit and Depeche Mode fans since mid 2012 with their synth-filled remixes of popular electropop songs as well as releasing unique singles of the same genre.
The Bones of What You Believe does not waste any time showing listeners what the album is all about, as “The Mother We Share” starts the debut with Lauren Mayberry’s key, electronic vocals. Soon after, Chvrches’ staple instrument is introduced: the synthesizer.
Tracks like “We Sink” and “Lies” show off their knowledge of the synthesizer—and just how much they like to exploit this knowledge—making sections of this album tiring and repetitive. The debut has some major highlights, though, in tracks like “Gun” and “Under The Tide.” These songs show a higher degree of variety in Chvrches’ musical ability, adding the keyboard and back-up singers to create a more diverse sound.
“You Caught the Light” ends the standard version of the album with a very gritty, ’80s pop presence and the lead vocals handled by Martin Doherty. With drums reminiscent of the hair-band era mixed with Doherty’s R&B voice and sweet synth melodies taking front stage, “You Caught the Light” is a perfect end to this debut and easily my favorite track on the album.
Chvrches’ firm grasp on the growing genre of electropop makes them a great band to see in concert, especially in the live music scene like we have in Madison. Mayberry’s vocals are consistently the highlight of the album, as I find the synth riffs and house-inspired beats very repetitive around four tracks into the album. This makes The Bones of What You Believe a difficult listen when in a more personal setting.
With that said, I do find The Bones of What You Believe to be an impressive debut for Chvrches and surely the beginning to a long career in today’s music industry, ruled by free internet releases and psychedelic, drug-filled live shows.
Rating: B-
