CHVRCHΞS

The Bones of What You Believe

It hangs together well as an album and whilst they’ve been hugely popular with taste-makers over the last few months, I would like to think that they could make the leap to mainstream success, because, quite frankly, they deserve to do so.

Many of the tracks available here could be chart-bothering Top Ten flirters, and Chvrches gutsy, crucial sonic smoothie never ceases to be utterly charming.

Despite all the shadows encroaching on the tracks, the album doesn’t have to be analysed and dissected to be enjoyed. There’s so much to love on its surface that the record could live in a collection and function solely as a catchy pop nugget for the rest of its existence.

Chvrches achieve sincerity not by simply rising above detachment, but by struggling with it on very real terms. And in doing so, they offer a sobering acknowledgment of just how far we’ve drifted away from each other.

The Bones Of What You Believe is, on the surface at least, an album full of dynamic, dance fuelled synth-pop, and the hype is justified.

Chvrches have stuck to the bones of their beliefs, and you're going to want to suck the marrow right out of them.

It's hard to make pop like this; an album that's so sonically uplifting even when it's rooted in something much darker. Merging these seemingly opposing ideas so flawlessly is what makes TBOWYB such a compelling listen.

"Lies," slightly tweaked here, remains the band's best track, but this is still a very young act, and the previously unreleased inclusions do justice to their predecessors.

The Bones of What You Believe hits so many high notes with its surprisingly simplistic delivery that it’s impossible not to recommend to even the most jaded of listeners. 

With this new album, CHVRCHES certainly makes a significant statement regarding the future of their music. And it’s not just the hit singles that define the album, each track has a significant voice and role in the impact of the album

CHVRCHES’ main talent lies in making a record which makes the climb more worthwhile than the summit.

It's questionable whether Chvrches' sound can survive and stretch any further for future material, but for the time being, The Bones of What You Believe is an impressive slate of sonic pleasures from a young band still experimenting with a room full of synths.

The overall evidence suggests that Chvrches straddle the line between indie contemplation and pop exultation with flair.

As all of their advance singles have proven, the cartoonish maximalism of Chvrches’ production is damn near irresistible in chunks. They write very strong songs, but aural satiation sinks in over Bones‘ 48 minute runtime. 

Thankfully for the synthpop trio, their debut is immediate enough that it should hold the skittish interests of the online community.

The Bones of What You Believe is a huge, disappointing bummer.

The Bones of What You Believe holds the stirring power to lift and crash, a marvel only to those who aspire for too little.

It’s hard to be really horrible, because there’s nothing actively bad about CHVRCHES. But it is hard to care too much about something this safe.