Two years after their formation, CHVRCHES releasedRecover EP in March 2013, which included hits "The Mother We Share" and "Recover". Their debut studio album,The Bones of What You Believe, was released on 20 September 2013, while the band was ranked fifth on theSound of 2013 list by theBBC.[4] Two years later, on 25 September 2015, the group released their second album,Every Open Eye. Their third album,Love Is Dead, was released on 25 May 2018. Their fourth album,Screen Violence, was released on 27 August 2021.
In 2003, musiciansIain Cook andMartin Doherty met as students at theUniversity of Strathclyde inGlasgow.[5] Doherty was a member of the band Julia Thirteen, and asked Cook to produce the band's 2006extended play (EP)With Tired Hears.[5][6] Although Julia Thirteen never recorded any further material, the experience proved vital, as Cook and Doherty formed a mutual interest in eventually starting their own project.[5] A few years later, Doherty joined Cook as a member ofAereogramme, but the band broke up in 2007 due to a lack of exposure.[6][7] After the dissolution of Aereogramme, Doherty then became a touring member for the bandthe Twilight Sad, but quit in 2012 after he grew tired of playing someone else's music. He had planned to retrain as a history teacher before reconnecting with Cook, and the two formed the music project that would eventually become CHVRCHES.[8]
A few years after Aereogramme broke up, Cook took an interest in theelectronic sound of the bandEmeralds. Cook bought aMinimoog Voyager and began "playing around with soundscapes and stuff like that ... kind of with a view of doing stuff from the '80s".[9] In September 2011, he produced an EP for the band Blue Sky Archives, and asked the band's vocalist and drummerLauren Mayberry if she would be interested in singing backing vocals for an electronic music project he and Doherty were working on. Mayberry was intrigued by the offer, as neither of them had any background in electronic music. "For me it was nice to write over different instruments and not have to try to sing and scream over live drums and a Marshall bass stack," said Mayberry.[10]
The three musicians quickly bonded,[11] and spent the next few months writing and recording songs in a basement studio.[10][12] During these sessions, Mayberry wrote the lyrics andhooks, Doherty provided melodic ideas, and Cook produced the songs.[10] Once the sessions had concluded, the three decided that they worked well enough together to try and perform the songs as a band.[13] The initial plan was to have Doherty sing lead vocals, while Mayberry would sing backing vocals. Mayberry was eventually promoted to lead vocalist after Cook and Doherty heard her singing abilities.[13] In addition to her new role, Mayberry became the band's frontwoman, and gave the other members a reading list about the inner workings of the music industry.[14]
The band members settled on the name CHVRCHES (stylised as CHVRCHΞS), which uses theRoman letter "v" instead of a "u". This spelling was chosen to differentiate themselves from actual churches in online search results.[15] There was no conscious decision to have a name with religious connotations; instead, the band members felt that the name gave "a strong vibe that could be interpreted in many different ways".[12] Mayberry also noted that the v is a subtle nod to band names from the influentialwitch house genre of music, including bands such asSALEM andRitualz. "We did consider putting upside down crosses at either side of our name, but that would have dated us, I think" said Mayberry.[16]
2012–2014: Breakthrough success, andThe Bones of What You Believe
Doherty noted how Chvrches began as a studio only project, saying: "There wasn't really any goal other than to put a song out on the internet and see what kind of response we got".[17] In May 2012, Chvrches posted its debut song "Lies" on theNeon Gold Records blog.[13] Instead of a picture of the band members, the song was accompanied by a picture ofnuns in masks, which added to the perceived religiosity of the Chvrches name.[18] The response was almost immediate; "Lies" reached number one on theMP3 aggregate blog The Hype Machine, and similarly received constant airplay onSoundCloud andBBC Radio 1.[10] The band members were amazed by the reaction to "Lies". "It was unbelievable, way beyond what we expected," said Doherty.[17]
Despite the popularity of "Lies", Chvrches had yet to perform a live show.[13] There was a growing expectation that the band would eventually perform live, although the band members were anxious at the prospect.[19] To curtail this fear, Chvrches played its first two live shows under the name Shark Week, before making its official debut at theGlasgow School of Art in July.[10] When Chvrches began to attractA&R representatives, Mayberry was dismayed that most of them wanted to make her the central figure of the band; one representative called her the nextPixie Lott.[20] From the beginning, the band's goal was to give equal treatment to all three members, and to not have any one person become the focal point. As Doherty stated: "We could have sold 200,000 more albums if we'd hidden Iain and I from view and put Lauren on the cover of every magazine. We ended up doing it in an indie band style. We broke through viaword of mouth. It was about doing it in an honest, right way."[21] This mentality meant that the band had to decline early offers for photo shoots and interviews that excluded Cook and Doherty.[21]
CHVRCHES performing at Metro, Chicago in 2013
Chvrches had already recorded eight other songs by the time "Lies" was released, in case listeners wanted to hear more music.[22] One of these songs, "The Mother We Share", was released on 5 November 2012 as the band's debut single.[23] "The Mother We Share" was similarly well received by listeners, and was downloaded more than 32,000 times by September 2013.[24] Around this time, Chvrches co-manager Campbell McNeil attempted to contactGlassnote Records founderDaniel Glass, and gave Glass copies of "Lies" and another song called "Recover".[24] After travelling to the UK to see Chvrches live, Glass signed the band to a recording contract in January 2013. To promote Chvrches, managers McNeil and Danny Rogers launched a nonstop touring schedule which included several international performances. Two months after signing withGlassnote, Chvrches made its North American debut at theSouth by Southwest festival inAustin, where the band won a Grulke Prize for best non-American act.[24][25]
On 6 February 2013, Chvrches premiered the second single "Recover".[26] It was followed byRecover EP, out on 25 March 2013 in the UK via Goodbye/Virgin and 26 March 2013 in the US via Glassnote.[26] In March 2013 Chvrches performed atSXSW.[27][28][29] They also won the Inaugural Grulke Prize (for Developing Non-US Act) at SXSW.[30] On 19 June 2013, Chvrches made their US TV debut performing "The Mother We Share" onLate Night with Jimmy Fallon.[31][32] On 15 July 2013, they released the single "Gun".[33] In July 2013 Chvrches supportedDepeche Mode on four shows fromThe Delta Machine Tour 2013.[34] In September 2013, they also performed "The Mother We Share" onLater... with Jools Holland.[35]
On 23 September 2013, the band released their debut studio albumThe Bones of What You Believe on Virgin and Goodbye Records.[36] On the critical aggregator websiteMetacritic, the album received a score of 80, based on 39 reviews.[37] On 30 September 2013, Mayberry penned an op-ed piece inThe Guardian on what she perceived as sexist remarks directed towards her through the band's social media sites.[38] Chvrches coveredBauhaus' song "'Bela Lugosi's Dead" for the ending credits of the filmVampire Academy.[39][40] "The Mother We Share" was featured in the opening video for the2014 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony inGlasgow, Scotland, on 23 July 2014.[41]
CHVRCHES performing at Columbiahalle in 2014
On 30 October 2014, BBC hostZane Lowe premiered "Get Away" as the first song from the re-scored soundtrack of the 2011Nicolas Winding Refn's film,Drive.[42]
The band started recording their second album in January 2015,[43] and on 5 June 2015 announced they had completed work on it.[44] Recording was conducted in the same Glasgow facility used forThe Bones, which received a major upgrade to recording gear and an increase in the instrumental variety for the second album.[45] IfThe Bones of What You Believe was recorded with the only three synths they had at that time (Minimoog Voyager,Prophet '08,Roland Juno-106), the success of the debut album allowed the band to follow their passion for synths by adding a lot more to play with onEvery Open Eye:Korg MS-20 mini,Korg Polysix,Roland Jupiter-8,Moog Sonic Six,Oberheim OB-Xa and DSI Prophet 12.[46]
On 16 July 2015, the band revealed the release date, cover art, and track listing for the new album, entitledEvery Open Eye.[47] The following day they released the album's first single, "Leave a Trace".[47] The album was released on 25 September 2015.[48][49] On 12 August 2015, the second single, "Never Ending Circles", was released,[50][51] and on 10 September 2015 the third single, "Clearest Blue", was also released.[52] On 19 October 2015, the fourth single, "Empty Threat", was released. The music video was revealed on 20 November 2015.[53]
Chvrches performing at Rock en Seine in 2016
On 31 March 2016, Chvrches made their debut atRoyal Albert Hall as part of the Albert Sessions in an over two hours concert. The setlist included 17 songs from their first album and their follow-up:Every Open Eye.[54] Chvrches andSolar Fields penned the original song "Warning Call" for the 2016 video gameMirror's Edge Catalyst. The theme song was released on 13 May 2016.[55]
In June 2016, a new version of "Bury It" featuringHayley Williams was released the fifth and final single fromEvery Open Eye.[56] The music video for the song was illustrated byJamie McKelvie, featuring the band and Williams demonstrating telekinetic powers.[57]
Chvrches began work on their third album in February 2017.[58] The album was recorded in Los Angeles, New York City, and London.[59] On 24 February 2017,Dave Stewart ofEurythmics revealed that he was in the studio working with the band.[60] On 12 December, it was announced thatGreg Kurstin had produced the album, and that work on the project was nearing completion[61] Speaking about the album in an interview,Mayberry said "It's a typicallyGlaswegian thing to do, to feel the most misanthropic and macabre when you're in the sunniest place on earth."[62]
Chvrches performing at theGreek Theatre in Los Angeles in September 2018
To promote the upcoming album, the band wiped all of their social media pages, before posting a short video containing new music captioned "GET IN".[63][64] The post was accompanied by a link to aFacebook Messenger page with the band.[65] On 31 January 2018,BBC Radio 1'sAnnie Mac announced "Get Out" to be her Hottest Record in the World, giving the single its world premiere.[66] The album also includes a song titled "My Enemy" featuringMatt Berninger ofThe National, released 28 February 2018.[67][68] The track list was unveiled on 26 February 2018.[69] On 29 March 2018, the band released "Never Say Die" as the third single from the album.[70] On 10 April 2018, the band released "Miracle" as the fourth single from the album.[71][72]Love Is Dead was released on 25 May 2018.[68][70][73] On 9 October 2018, the band released "Graffiti" as the fifth single from the album.[74][75]
Chvrches performing at the Falls Festival during theLove Is Dead Tour, 2019
In February 2019, the band was featured in a collaboration with theBBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for the launch of the newBBC Scotland television channel. The channel's official launch on 24 February featured an orchestral performance of "Miracle".[76][77] In March 2019, the band collaborated with EDM artistMarshmello on the track "Here with Me".[78][79]
Chvrches performing at the Hollywood Palladium, 2021
Chvrches started working on their fourth album in February 2020.[83] Martin Doherty and Lauren Mayberry worked on the album from Los Angeles whileIain Cook worked on the album from Glasgow.[84] Chvrches started teasing the lead single for their fourth album, given the working titleCHV4,[85] on 9 April 2021.[86] On 18 April 2021, Chvrches announced "He Said She Said" as the lead single for the album and it premiered onBBC Radio 1 on 19 April 2021.[87] A second single, "How Not to Drown", featuringRobert Smith ofthe Cure, was released on 2 June 2021.[88] The same day, the band announced their fourth album,Screen Violence, which was released on 27 August 2021.[88] On 12 July 2021 they released the album's third and final single, "Good Girls".[89] On 25 August 2021, the band performed "Good Girls" from the albumScreen Violence onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[90][91]
After spending nearly a decade with Glassnote, Chvrches signed a deal withIsland Records andEMI Records in 2022.[92][93] On 24 February 2023, Chvrches released the single "Over", the first to be released as part of their new record deal.[92][93] In July 2023, Mayberry announced she would be releasing solo music in advance of a solo tour in September and October of the same year while the band would be on hiatus.[11]
I met Iain [Cook] and Martin [Doherty] when I was 23 — a little baby of a person, in hindsight. Looking back on what we’ve achieved together, so much of it doesn’t feel real or even possible. [...] I am so proud of all the chapters our band has been able to have and I am so grateful to my bandmates for taking me on that journey with them.
She also clarified that the band was "confident that the Chvrches story has many more pages yet to be written.”[95]
In August, she announced that her first solo single "Are You Awake?" would release on September 1.[96]
On 16 August 2023, Chvrches announced that a 10th anniversary special edition ofThe Bones of What You Believe was planned for release on 13 October of the same year. This release would include four previously unreleased tracks recorded during the production of the original album, in addition to five live tracks and the original 12 tracks. The first of the four newly added tracks, "Manhattan", was released as a single alongside the announcement.[97] The 10th anniversary special edition was released on 20 October 2023.[98]
When Chvrches play live, Mayberry performs lead vocals and occasionally plays synthesisers andsamplers. She also played drums as a part of their second album tour as seen in "Playing Dead", "Empty Threat", and "Under the Tide"; Cook plays synthesisers, guitar, bass, and also performs backing vocals; Doherty plays synthesisers and samplers, and also performs backing vocals and sometimes lead vocals. In 2018, the band's live line-up expanded to a four-piece by adding Jonny Scott on drums.[3]
Lauren Mayberry performing with Chvrches at SPIN Party, SXSW (2013)
On 3 December 2015, Chvrches performed "Leave a Trace" atThe Game Awards 2015 in Los Angeles, California, where they also announced the nominees for and winner of bestindie game.[169]
On 11 November 2021, Chvrches began theirScreen Violence album tour in North America and finished their first leg on 17 December.[175] The tour's second leg started with dates across the United Kingdom in March 2022, then continued on to Mexico, the United States and Canada.[176] During the American leg, they played at theHollywood Bowl, co-headlining withGrace Jones.[177] At the end of 2022 they performed in Australia atFalls Festival and Heaps Good festival,[178] then went to Japan to headline shows in Tokyo and Osaka.[179] After returning to the US, they performed atiHeart Radio's ALTer EGO ‘23 at theKIA Forum in Los Angeles.[180]
In March 2023, the band touredBrazil for the first time as an opener forColdplay on theirMusic of the Spheres World Tour. The band also performed two headlining shows while there.[181] In May 2023, the band opened for all four of Coldplay's shows in Barcelona, Spain.
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