Chvrches - Love Is Dead (2018)

So, is this album going to rule or what?

Singles so far:
Get Out
My Enemy (feat. Matt Berninger)
Never Say Die

The album was co-produced by Greg Kurstin, making this the band's first album not independently produced. The band collaborated with David Stewart from Eurythmics and Matt Berninger from The National during production.

Set for release 25 May

This album should rule, so excited for this.

Greg Kurstin!

Properly excited about this! I was not a fan of "Get Out" but love My Enemy.

I just haven’t been able to get into anything since their debut album and EP, which I *loved*.

It’s hard to put my finger on what exactly it is, but to me it’s like they’ve turned up the “EDM” dial and turned down the “synthpop” dial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1YqueG2gtQ

whoa this is terrible lol

yeah I liked the one w/ berninger (at least partly for the novelty of hearing him over a sparkly synth-pop tune) but this is, how you say, not so good

I really hope they're saving the best material for the album.

Just another Friday night on Sauchiehall Street.

I’m cringing :(

Superb.

Come on though, the video is an abomination.

Yeah, the video is crap!

oh lol i didn't even watch the video. seems suited to the quality of the song

All the tracks I've heard from the new album are as good as anything they've ever done, which is to say leagues ahead of The 1975's entire career.

if u can't hear a distinct gap between this song and anything they've ever done you just might be a turristan

Or perhaps it's just you being wrong and the artist being right.

lol wait am i to understand the band CHVRCHES is not producing good music

The customer is always right.

Or perhaps it's just you being wrong and the artist being right.

― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Wednesday, April 25, 2018 1:46 PM (four minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

https://i.imgur.com/Cq2dfl9.gif

Yup, keep mulling over that and perhaps the penny'll drop one day!

So they've officially turned into Imagine Dragons now, I see.

CHVRCHES were and are a very mediocre group with a charismatic front woman who, now three albums deep, is clearly being held back in her career due to a sense of loyalty.

What kind of music would Lauren Mayberry make on her own? Fuck if I know, but it would have to be better than this.

I disagree with every word of that previous post except "charismatic front woman"

idk i don’t think they were always mediocre. “empty threat,” that’s a great pop song! and this new slog has none of its animation or charm

Their first two albums are stuffed with great pop songs - this new album will also rule.

idk i don’t think they were always mediocre.

Some decent songs crept out, but mostly they were the bottom feeders in a trending wave.

yeah this one is dreadful. Never Say Die is the only one I've liked from the new album so far but this is much worse than the others. shame that this album seems like it will be such a disappointment because the last one was quite good

both of their albums are uneven but good imo

this’ll also probably be an outlier on the record bc it’s steve mac not kurstin

still

Some decent songs crept out, but mostly they were the bottom feeders in a trending wave.

― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, April 25, 2018 10:10 PM (ten minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I don't think you could possibly be any more wrong about that. Best UK synthpop band since Pet Shop Boys, without a doubt.

looking at steve mac's production credits and he has a lot to answer for

xp

I didn't really understand the hype around the first album but the second was a big improvement

I agree w/ that

the fact that Turrican loves them but hates the 1975 is hilarious to learn

not really feeling this, it is just sort of there. i haven't listened to anything else and looking forward to the new album.

I didn't really understand the hype around the first album but the second was a big improvement

― ufo

Totally agree with this. The Mother We Share was the best thing on the debut by a mile. The second album was great all the way through, even the song where the guy sang. Really disappointed with all the songs from the new album so far. They're all so flat.

actually i possibly overrate the debut bc "we sink" is my favorite chvrches song. the second one is def way better

god "leave a trace" is the best song

a lot of the melodies on the debut feel kinda stilted to me

really how did they go from writing songs like Leave a Trace and Clearest Blue to Miracle though

the fact that Turrican loves them but hates the 1975 is hilarious to learn

― Simon H., Wednesday, 25 April 2018 23:39 (yesterday) Permalink

Yes, it's hilarious to learn that I like a good band and not a thoroughly awful one!

'Tether' is the best song on the debut, and not by a mile either.

turrican i'm not convinced you're not a contrarian ;)

still the best thing chvrches has done is a remix four tet did of them...

Contrarian? I'd be more than happy to agree with people in a thread about Chvrches, but that's difficult to do when everyone is being wrong on a ludicrous scale :P

:-)

i loved the first single personally

turrican, turrican, turrican, can't be wrong-ah. Every Open Eye was so good and none from these new singles has hit that high water mark for me.

figured out today that “leave a trace” is a jimmy eat world song with different instrumentation

also figured out that the new songs all sound differently tired

Turrican, I am curious about what you think of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEdRhmBx8IU

(we had this conversation in the other chvrches thread)

but

the fact that Turrican loves them but hates the 1975 is hilarious to learn
― Simon H., Wednesday, 25 April 2018 23:39 (yesterday) Permalink

otm

xp - right, just saw that

I haven't heard the album yet, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it as much as the first two. A live set is currently on BBC Four.

Absolutely sure turrican you’ll like it

This is a good record but I can’t imagine this band has much left to say after this one. They haven’t changed their sound much unlike other synth pop groups, other than the new one feeling like pop punky. Also get the guy off there, that’s t least favourite trope in music, secondary singers singing when it wasn’t formerly established

As a previous poster said Mayberry needs to go solo

the guy sings on every previous chvrches record

uncoincidentally always the worst track on the record

Yeah, I was gonna say! He sings on two tracks on the debut and one track on the second album. Disagree with Brad's statement, though - I love both 'High Enough to Carry You Over' and 'You Caught the Light' ...

Anyhow, if this record really is "more of the same", then looks like I'm in for a treat.

Also, welcome back Ross! It's like you never left!

“high enough to carry you over” is fine. it’s still the worst track on every open eye

it's 'more of the same but not as good', an important distinction

I'll be the judge of that when I hear it for myself.

(Particularly since I've read a lot on here that I've disagreed with regarding the first two albums also)

For me, 'Down Side of Me' is the "worst" track on Every Open Eye, but it still rules so it doesn't matter.

Looking forward to the promo interviews for the next record where they'll talk about how they wanted to get away from external co-writers and "get back to basics"

Thanks turrican! I was gone for a day lol

It’s a great pop record and delivers everythinf I want from
That wheelhouse. I confess I didn’t know he was on the other records as my knowledge of this band is confined to initial eps debut and remixes

Well, just finished my second listen to Love is Dead and unsurprisingly I love it from beginning to end. I have to admit, part of me was worried about them getting outside assistance with the production in case it turned into Moth-like disaster, but basically it's resulted in yet another wonderful Chvrches record that sounds sonically gorgeous on headphones. It's different enough to set it apart from previous work, while not sacrificing what makes them great - a balancing act they also achieved on their last album. Just superb. I was skeptical about some of the prior comments about the record here, and seems like I was right to be. Chvrches have done it again! Superb.

"Unwelcome second string singers" would be a good thread idea

see also: that one purity ring track where the dude sings

Also the gang gang dance track with the dude

I'm glad we are all wising up to this obnoxious trend

Create the thread tbh

this album is really great

the album cover is so 2001

The album did nothing for me but this works surprisingly well!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msgimk3mV6g

Nice. Love is always stuck in my head

guy singing does nothing but hold them back

Indeed

Best CHVRCHES song of 2018.

Incredible cover

guy singing does nothing but hold them back

― niels, Friday, July 20, 2018 7:03 AM (thirteen hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It's difficult to agree with this when they're doing so well.

Still playing the shit out of their superb recent album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWI-VukpyTk

uh what the hell!!!! this rules way more than most of Love is Dead AND it's a collaboration with my favourite group in the world

On repeat. Might be my song of the year. Might be the best CHVRCHES song ever. I no longer feel like the world is doomed.

oh shit this song rules

I definitely thought of you Brad when I heard it since it's them at their most synth-emo

yeah otm, when it got to the first of the two (?) choruses i was like "hell yeah this is the SOUND"

Chvrches never fail to deliver the goods - no surprise that this is great!

Great band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq9uZj3tl9w

covered The Downtown Lights!!!

I have no idea who Lo Moon are, but their vocalist does a mighty fine Buchanan impression.

Lo Moon thread - Lo Moon

Will be interesting to see where Lo Moon's second album goes, but their first, particularly "Loveless" is very much in the Mark Hollis / later-era Talk Talk vein. There's also a YouTube clip out there with Lo Moon covering Prefab Sprout's "Bonny" on this tour.

Hoping that the attention spurs new Paul Buchanan or Paddy McAloon activity.

i just don't know what to think about this Chvrches album. it's good, not as good as the last two, but have no desire to revisit it. those three or four songs are really good thou, some of their best.

Album is still amazing, can't wait to hear what they do next - even if it is more of the same!

I hated ‘Love Is Dead’ so much that it’s sort of even ruined their debut for me. :(

Yeah, Love Is Dead did a lot of damage for me too. Probably my biggest musical disappointment of 2018.

they released two great songs this year (Graffiti and Out Of My Head) but the rest were mediocre to terrible, Miracle is the worst thing they've ever done

Hmm I thought the album was kinda uneven compared to its predecessor but it still had a lot of bops: Get Out, Forever, Never Say Die, Graffiti, etc.

The only song that isn't as good as the others is 'God's Plan', the rest is business as usual great stuff. This isn't because the dude sings on it, either - 'You Caught the Light' and 'High Enough to Carry You Over' are two of my favourite Chvrches tracks.

For me, it’s way different than their first two albums. They just don’t sound like a synthpop act anymore. Even ‘Every Open Eye’ made me a lil nervous, but it did have a killer lead single imo.

It’s like they decided to focus too much on shooting for “anthemic,” and the result is a bizarrely sterile EDM version of Paramore or something??

Meh, I don't think it's that different. Pretty much most of these songs would have fit snugly on either of their first two albums - they haven't radically changed their songwriting style or melodic sense and thank god for that because I'd hate them to. The biggest difference is in the production, which a little more shiny, but no less synthpop. They were always anthemic and have very little in common with EDM, which is a dreadful term anyway.

And what's wrong with Paramore!?!

Nothing, really! Just didn’t want CHVRCHES to go in that direction.

it’s ok tho because iirc, we both agree that Ladytron incl. their more recent non-‘witching hour’ albums are underrated. <3

Yeah, that's right! :D They've got a new one due out soon and about time too!