Photo Credit: Danny Clinch
Since the May release of Scottish synth-pop trio Chrvches’ third studio album, Love is Dead, two principle narratives have surrounded the band. One focuses on how lead singer Lauren Mayberry’s feminist critique of the music industry predates the #MeToo movement. The other revolves around the band’s decision to record in New York City and Los Angeles with powerhouse producer Greg Kurstin rather than self-produce in the Glasgow basement where previous projects were born.
“We know we have this base foundation, this safety net that is the three of us,” Mayberry says over the phone from California. “I don’t want to write the same record again and again, so we try to be open to things, but also confident and secure in what we have.”
Chrvches met with a handful of producers before teaming up with Kurstin, the reigning Grammy Producer of the Year, who co-produced eight of the 12 songs on Love is Dead. One song, “My Enemy,” features guest vocals from The National’s Matt Berninger, a duet that speaks to Chrvches’ indie-rock roots.
Before joining forces with Martin Doherty and Iain Cook, Mayberry sang in a handful of unsuccessful underground groups back in Scotland. Doherty and Cook spent years in alternative Glasgow bands. Doherty was a touring member of the Twilight Sad, though he never formally joined the band. Cook and Doherty produced the demos for what would become Chrvches’ early material, which they invited Mayberry to sing over. During that first session together they knew they had struck upon something special.
Little was known about Chrvches when the band’s initial singles appeared on SoundCloud in early 2013. The futuristic, fist-pumping electro-pop quickly made the rounds on music blogs and inspired a cadre of imitators. The band’s debut, The Bones of What You Believe, may go down as a benchmark record of the 2010s for its innovative, infectious blend of indie-pop and electronic dance music.
“There’s a real art in being able to take emotions that can be quite complex and distilling them into something very direct,” Mayberry says of pop music, which she admits is looked down upon in certain circles.
“When you find those pop songs, whether it’s from Robyn or Cyndi Lauper or someone like that, the artists that really get you in the gut and articulate what you’re thinking and feeling and make you feel a lot less alone, that’s a very powerful thing,” she says.
Kurstin has helmed some of the most successful pop music of recent years, including Adele’s record-breaking hit “Hello.” He has worked with artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Sia, Tegan and Sara, Lana Del Rey and Paul McCartney. Kurstin’s presence on Love is Dead signals Chrvches' mainstream crossover aspirations. Though his work gives the record a thorough sheen, Mayberry says Kurstin encouraged them to jump in the booth whenever inspiration came, resulting in the band’s most dynamic record to date.
For calling out the callous treatment of women in the entertainment industry, Mayberry has been viciously lambasted online and occasionally in person. Doherty and Cook have also spoken out about injustice and the need for art to be a voice of resistance. This line in the sand has occasionally resulted in snide reviews of the band. Despite the pitfalls of being in the public eye, Mayberry cherishes her job as a musician and writer.
“What is beautiful and great about art is that you’re basically making something out of nothing,” she says. “You’re making something out of whatever it is that is rattling around in your head.”
Of her songwriting process Mayberry says, “You’re trying to crack your head open a little and see what comes out. It’s about finding a place to be properly honest, to say things that I probably wouldn’t say as bluntly or as brazenly to people in real life. It’s weird because being in a band is the most exposed that we are, but it’s also the place where I can be the most open.”
Between moving to New York City, Trump’s election and Brexit, Mayberry has had a lot to process. Love is Dead may be a declarative statement, but the album expertly balances light and dark. It finds a way to transcend the frustration from what feels like a decline in our global empathy reserves. Love is Dead is a both an evolution and a return to form for one of the sharpest architects of modern dance music.
Chrvches headline the Riverside Theater on Thursday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m. with Lo Moon.
