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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
Screen Violence marries visceral anger and empowerment. The result is their most euphoric rallying cry to date.
9mo
91
Even amidst all the worrying, their defiant, quivering music vibrates with possibility in a way that plainly, and passionately, refutes even the darkest moments of despair expressed in its lyrics.
8mo
90
This is without a doubt their most intriguing record since their 2013 debut.
9mo
90
Sonically and overall ‘Screen Violence’ feels like a huge leap forward for CHVRCHES; as a group who’ve worked their way up festival bills and to bigger venues over their decade as a group, their fourth album is custom built to fill those colossal expanses.
9mo
90
Not only is Screen Violence Chvrches’ finest work since The Bones of What You Believe, it’s also their most purposeful. It feels like they took stock of who they want to be and what they want to say, and these epic songs about letting go but holding onto the ability to feel make for a stunning creative rebirth.
8mo
83
It may not be their best, but it’s their best right now—and it crackles with the energy of a group that’s figured out how to block out the noise and deliver superbly crafted pop music, the kind some idealistic kids would’ve wanted to hear in a Scottish basement over a decade ago.
8mo
80
Screen Violence is a punchy and determined effort, full of big hooks and awash with glittering synth textures.
10mo
80
With both joyful pop bangers and more contemplative numbers, this is a fine record that documents the times
9mo
80
Despite the daring newness, Screen Violence still feels unmistakably CHVRCHES, and one of their strongest records at that.
9mo
80
Creating warm, emotional synthpop is Chvrches’ forte, and Screen Violence is the kind of bruised pop record that can only be made after a year of so much loss.
9mo
80
It's to CHVRCHES' credit that Screen Violence doesn't suggest any shallow, put-down-your-phone answers to the questions it raises. Instead, the album makes an unflinching appraisal of present-day anxieties to summon the vitality needed to keep going, in spite of what keeps coming through the screen.
9mo
80
From the fist in the air of ‘Good Girls’ to ‘Final Girl’, and its strength to push through self-doubt to reach the end credits, ‘Screen Violence’ is a record that understands the lows to appreciate the highs. Just like the band that made it, it’s that ability to last the distance that counts in the end.
9mo
80
“Are the screens evil, or are we?” Chvrches wondered in a recent interview. It’s a question at the heart of Screen Violence and one the band try to answer via a heady gothic disco. It's their best album to date.
8mo
80
Chvrches are in a comfy place at the minute: their sound isn’t all that new or exciting anymore, but it’s still as enjoyable as ever, with more anthemic lyrics and shiny synths than you can shake a memory stick at.
8mo
80
The Glasgow-formed trio might have used the dark side of technology to build the foundations of this record but, rather than crafting handwringing lectures on the dangers of online life, they shape songs that are like mini horror vignettes – rich with storytelling and a side of social commentary.
8mo
80
Their newest offering channels years of anguish into a single four-sided album sleeve, resulting in an uncompromising barrage of lyrical rawness and integrity.
8mo
80
For anyone who isn’t in the mood for escapism, here’s a great way to wallow in the bad stuff.
8mo
80
The Glaswegian trio use horror film tropes to explore fame, double standards and battles closer to home on their intense fourth album.
8mo
80
The trio has crafted a near-perfect post-pandemic (oh please God) synth-pop journey that is at once an escape and a finding of common ground.
8mo
80
It's not every day that we see a band reinvent itself with such elegance and success as Glasgow trio CHVRCHES do on their fourth studio album.
8mo
75
The trio may no longer sound as cutting edge as they did on their debut, but they’re certainly not going gently into the dark of their mid-career.
8mo
72
On its fourth album, the Scottish trio steps back from the grandest pop aspirations and embraces a horror-movie concept without losing its signature brightness and sense of joy.
8mo
70
Whilst never quite hitting the heights of those massive early singles, Screen Violence is the sound of Chvrches back on track.
9mo
70
Four albums in, Chvrches have honed their pop craft and, by extension, their ability to transform hopelessness into inspiration.
9mo
70
This band still has a lot to say. Their Solar Power might follow later, but this is not its time. Let's enjoy the beautiful and fragile vulnerability Chvrches are so good at.
9mo
70
If the good news is that Chvrches have returned to the sound of their successful early records, the bad news is that they don’t reach quite the same heights, or strike new ground.
8mo
70
Screen Violence represents an enhanced version of Chvrches and although it might not be the most radical evolution, the album marks an intriguing step forward nonetheless.
8mo
70
The album explores a much more vulnerable side that pushes their synth-pop sound without foregoing their own signature.
8mo
61
It’s a considerable improvement over the absolute mess that was Love is Dead, at the very least, but they’ve taken a step a bit too far into their past to bounce back fully.
8mo
61
Rather than distilling their sound into its most captivating components, Screen Violence retreads already well-trodden territory.
9mo
60
Fourth time around, they celebrate their decade together by setting Lauren Mayberry’s vocals — part Elizabeth Fraser, part Sugarcubes-era Bjork – against cascading banks of synthesizers ... it's a perfect retro storm.
9mo
60
A vast improvement on the over-zealous Love Is Dead, Screen Violence has some great moments, but still lacks the punch that made those early Chvrches records sing.
8mo
60
Screen Violence is a bit of a creative bounce-back for the trio.
8mo
This is everything you would expect from a CHVRCHES album, nothing more, nothing less. Except, those who want to see aesthetic development from the band might leave this experience with feelings of disappointment, because ultimately, there’s nothing new.
★★☆☆☆
Filled with so much vulnerability and confidence, “Screen Violence” trails a very ambitious path on CHVRCHES’ sonority and lyrics, and for sure makes a big growth since their last LP. With quite everything sounding splendid and the project’s concept being so relatable and transparent, it’s almost impossible not to praise such a masterpiece.
Not to say the last CHVRCHES album - Love Is Dead - was “bad”, but it lacks personality and innovation, two ... read more
Favourite: Violent Delights
Worst: Good Girls
1. Asking for a Friend - 8
2. He Said She Said - 8
3. California - 9
4. Violent Delights - 10
5. How Not To Drown - 9
6.Final Girl - 8
7. Good Girls - 7
8. Lullabies - 8
9. Nightmares - 8
10. Better If You Don't - 7.5
Average: 8.25
Quick Comment: Well that was delightful
I think it’s officially safe to declare CHVRCHES’s widely-panned third album “Love Is Dead” a fluke, or at least an unfortunate mismatch of artist aspiration and fanbase expectations from which Lauren Mayberry and co. seem to have learned. That “Screen Violence” is a major improvement over “Love Is Dead” comes as a major relief to the entire fanbase, but the album as a whole is a welcome recovery for CHVRCHES that repositions them on the ... read more
FAV TRACKS: Asking for a Friend, He Said She Said, California, ★ Violent Delights ★, How Not To Drown, Final Girl, Good Girls, Lullabies, Nightmares
LEAST FAV TRACKS: Better If You Don't
Contributions By
domvic, Hungry_Potato, anztec, The Synthpop Enjoyer, jewelbreak, ThomYorke2, hbear, Novell_sx, MikeOwen, NostalgiaTears, matteo, imafraidofBecome a Donor
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Track List
| 1 | Asking for a Friend 5:04 | 84 |
| 2 | He Said She Said 3:09 | 71 |
| 3 | California 4:08 | 80 |
| 4 | Violent Delights 5:19 | 83 |
| 5 | How Not To Drown 5:31 | 87 |
| 6 | Final Girl 4:29 | 82 |
| 7 | Good Girls 3:19 | 82 |
| 8 | Lullabies 3:44 | 80 |
| 9 | Nightmares 4:33 | 76 |
| 10 | Better If You Don't 3:31 | 74 |
Total Length: 42 minutes
Year End Lists
| #1 | / | USA Today: Patrick Ryan |
| #7 | / | Consequence of Sound |
| #8 | / | Chorus.fm |
| #12 | / | Albumism |
| #13 | / | RIFF Magazine |
| #19 | / | Good Morning America |
| #19 | / | Under the Radar |
| #21 | / | The Young Folks |
| #26 | / | Dork |
| #26 | / | NME |
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2mo
How Not To Drown was the smartest thing they could of done. Made me stream it quite consistent .
8mo
honestly expected far worse from fantano, glad he didn't completely hate this like i thought he would
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Added on: June 2, 2021