MUSIC REVIEW: CHVRCHΞS – Love is Dead

Starting out in Glasgow, Chvrches have gained international success with their synth-pop band, producing and writing overseas in the US. Released on the 25th of May 2018, their newest work, “Love is Dead”, is their third studio album. With the ambition to go mainstream, this album saw Chvrches bring in outside production for the first time. Production started in the February of 2017 overseas in Los Angeles, with Greg Kurstin (Sia, Beck, Foo Fighters) being revealed as a producer. Other hot hands included, David Stewart (Eurythmics) and Steve Mac (One Direction, Shakira, Ed Sheeran), who also worked alongside Chvrches in the studio.

Chvrches have opted for larger universal topics, rather than introspection, for “Love is Dead”. A subtle shift in sound is noted too as this album is far more pop than their previous albums. Discussing this in 2018 with BBC 1’s Annie Mac, lead singer Lauren Mayberry stated, “If it’s going to be more pop it should be more aggressively pop – there’s no doing things in half measures. It was nice to not be second guessing ourselves. It’s still consistent with what we’ve done before but it feels like it’ll be more of a live experience.”

Aggressive pop it is – when naming an album “Love Is Dead”, you either have to prove it right or prove it wrong. Mayberry, has stated that the reference is to the death of empathy within society. The album art reflects this, as a girl stands with her eyes blocked out by the band name. This makes the character metaphorically turn a blind eye, consequently not seeing what is happening right in front of her. Arguably, this calls out the media for creating a desensitization to the societal and political atrocity of recent times. This tough political undercurrent is very prevalent in “Love Is Dead”, despite the bursts of utopian sounding pop. The coldness of the artwork clearly blends into the political discussion of the record.

Perhaps the most brazen is “Graves”. Mayberry explicitly sings, “Leaving bodies in the stairwells and washing up on the shores”, to depict the tragic scenes from the Grenfell disaster and the European refugee crisis. Although this paints a bleak picture of the lack of empathy from the British political climate, Mayberry comes back to reassuringly repeat:

“Oh, baby

You can look away

While they’re dancing on our graves

But I will stop at nothing”

This song sparks a hope that there are people carrying an empathic torch to lighten up the dark. The political anthems present on this album should not surprise given how openly Chvrches have spoken about the uncertainty of brexit, the danger of a Trump presidency, and the ever-increasing global adversity in society.

Moving away from introspection, and instead showing a darker perspective of society, Chvrches have created an album that demonstrates how love can be saved from death in a dark political climate. Proving that love is dead, but as an empathic society, we can bring it back to life.