CHVRCHES 'The Bones Of What You Believe' Review Roundup: Scottish Synths Stir Scribes

Scottish dance-pop trio CHVRCHES have wowed bloggers and radio listeners alike with their singles "The Mother We Share", "Gun" and "Lies." Their debut album The Bones Of What You Believe capitalizes on that momentum with a release that's destined to stand out even in the cluttered synth-band landscape.

LA Times:

Early blog-bait singles like "The Mother We Share" and "Recover" sound even better with the album's big-budget spit shine; "Gun" and "Lies" will probably join their ranks. As the air turns cooler and the skies go grayer, the rave kids are going to need a comedown, and the rest of us need some immersive, sad-eyed headphone jams. This record should do the trick for everyone.

Neon Tommy:

It might be easy to pigeonhole Chvrches as just another indie synth pop band, but they've shown so much musical evolution in the past year that it would be downright naive to dismiss them as a one trick pony. On "Bones," they've proven that they can handle dissonance in duality even with music critics and fans breathing down their neck. Here's to round two -- or, to further follow in the footsteps of M83, they could do a composing gig instead?

Idolator:

Even in these poptimistic days, people tend to think that when a pop song is catchy or instantly gratifying, it's less likely to stand up against deeper analysis, that it's empty calories. But sometimes you just want a straightforward song that stirs something within you right fucking now and you don't care why or how it achieves this. The best songs aren't the ones that require deeper examination, they're the ones that invite it. And that's the type of song this band makes - songs you'll fall for based on completely superficial "ear candy" reasons at first, but that reveal more quirks and substance when revisited (like the water-down-a-grate synths near the end of "We Sink"). CHVRCHES' songs are exquisitely compressed and layered, but they're also completely approachable. So you can appreciate The Bones Of What You Believe at face value, just an entertaining flash of activity akin to a flipbook. Or you can really look, to see the detail and expertise that went into the illusion, allowing you to fully appreciate it.

A.V. Club:

Chvrches' bread and butter remains highly melodic, synthesizer-based pop, but with just the right amount of darkness, thanks in part to Mayberry. She has a law degree and a masters in journalism, so she writes like she has something to say, not just to fill the space in the songs. She, Doherty, and multi-instrumentalist Iain Cook have crafted one of the year's best albums, which means that buzz won't be dying down any time soon.

SPIN:

In a mainstream landscape that's still reveling in the EDM-fueled fuck-yous of Icona Pop and Charli XCX's "I Love It," CHVRCHES' poppy electronic textures and bleakly lyrical brashness raises the bar.

Consequence Of Sound:

Thankfully, the long-awaited The Bones of What You Believe doesn't just check its considerable hype, it transcends it. By corralling everything in vogue with today's soundscape - ethereal atmospherics, pulsing synths, '80s throwbacks - with infectious hooks and the emphatic vocals of Lauren Mayberry, CHVRCHES has created 12 pop songs that are as accessible as they are layered. And though the pre-released singles stand out, excellent songs like "Tether" and "We Sink" prove that the trio's got plenty more tricks up their sleeve.

Pretty Much Amazing:

This is how synthpop was meant to be; the robotic notes of a keyboard rendered human and given a beating heart. CHVRCHES have constructed a debut record that will not lose its luster with each successive spin, and proven that they have the substance to remain aloft as their cosmic kin come crashing down to Earth.