Blue Rev
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LP / Format
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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
Blue Rev is everything I love about popular music; a record so potent that on listening, this bitter, cynical 40 year old feels like a teenager discovering Loveless or #1 Record or Bandwagonesque for the first time again. It is truly one for the ages.
90
A heavenly indie pop hit guaranteed to make their already besotted fans fall even more head over heels in love with the band.
90
Its Alvvays least penetrable, most challenging album yet — but one that still preserves the band's best qualities, sounding chaotic and painstaking at the same time.
88
The Toronto band’s third album is a triumph of power pop, a densely layered, witty, blithe, and beautiful record that sets a new benchmark for the genre.
85
Blue Rev is a quite wonderful return and proof positive of the old adage that good things come to those who wait.
84
The Canadian indie quintet’s third album leans harder into their noisy interests.
82
They explore new avenues while still reliably conjuring up the shimmering melodies and brilliant lyrics they are known for. It’s a pure rock record, with plenty of angst, but there’s a dreamy, distant quality to the effort as well.
80
A more muscular sound and a line-up change marks the welcome triumph over adversity that is the Torontarians’ third record.
80
The tunes are shoegazey, jangly and energetic, never too one-dimensional and always interesting. Alvvays have taken their time in creating a record that doesn’t scream for attention, but instead hooks you in with its fuzzy textures and subtleties.
80
Few do blissed-out indie-pop better, and at 14 songs long, ‘Blue Rev’ is swimming in fuzzy, woozy bangers.
80
‘Blue Rev’ is a magical, twisty excursion to a crossroads where the band simultaneously reflects on yesteryear and explores the turbulence of divergent realities.
80
Alvvays return with Blue Rev, their first new album for five years, and in a strangely radical way, it simply meets our ethereal shoegaze expectations.
80
Boy do Alvvays know how to make a broken heart sound ever so sweet.
80
The Canadians’ third album is still identifiably Alvvays, but the hooks here are sweeter, the instrumentation brighter, the energy more palpable.
78
With Blue Rev, Alvvays rocket back into contention when it comes to leaders of the cyclical shoegaze revival that pops up every few years.
76
Blue Rev lingers on dashed hopes and realistic stickiness.
70
Alvvays’ musical craft isn’t always the most singular, but its myriad layers occasionally transcend the weight of their influences and become something potent and unique. These moments, combined with the consistently strong lyrics, make Blue Rev a small but compelling step forward for the band.
70
Five years on from their last release, Alvvays have lost none of their deftness of touch.
70
Blue Rev may not be the album to progress their careers, but it may just be a gateway to an altogether more interesting phase.
70
Blue Rev, while not particularly consistent, is still one of the year's most colorful rock records.
70
On their third album, the Canadian indie-pop darlings solidify their continued relevance in the alternative music scene.
60
Blue Rev is an album that begs to be played live. Whilst as a whole the album still sounds very Alvvays, there’s a definite lack of cohesion and a punchy feel missing on the group’s third album. Blue Rev is a slightly disappointing return from such a brilliant indie band.
After 5 years Alvvays is finally back with who may be their best album.
In "Blue Rev" Alvvays pull their sound to something more bold and even heavier as well their lyrics got better but in a negative aspect it lacks the catchy hooks and memorable tunes from their past albums.
Still is worth listening and it's very enjoyable also personally i would say it's my favorite album of the year.
Gorgeous.
This album is my introduction to Alvvays, and what can I say? They are amazing! I absolutely loved the beautiful vocals, interesting and catchy lyrics mixed with these colorful guitars and rhythms.
The sound of this record is so diverse and so… warm? I'm absolutely in love with those shoegaze / dream pop guitars. The vocals are so beautiful that you just want to close your eyes and relax. Even where the lyrics are not, the album sounds very optimistic to me, and it manages ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | Pharmacist 2:04 | 88 |
| 2 | Easy On Your Own? 2:54 | 89 |
| 3 | After The Earthquake 3:05 | 90 |
| 4 | Tom Verlaine 3:26 | 83 |
| 5 | Pressed 2:09 | 82 |
| 6 | Many Mirrors 2:58 | 86 |
| 7 | Very Online Guy 2:22 | 84 |
| 8 | Velveteen 3:09 | 86 |
| 9 | Tile By Tile 2:58 | 88 |
| 10 | Pomeranian Spinster 3:24 | 85 |
| 11 | Belinda Says 2:45 | 89 |
| 12 | Bored In Bristol 3:00 | 84 |
| 13 | Lottery Noises 3:18 | 84 |
| 14 | Fourth Figure 1:20 | 78 |
Total Length: 38 minutes
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| #2 | / | Gaffa (Sweden) |
| #2 | / | Northern Transmissions |
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22h
Tile By Tile randomly came on shuffle one day and now all the sudden, it is my favorite Alvvays song, that shit just HITS.
Added on: July 6, 2022