★★★★☆
Unveiled on Annie Mac’s Hottest Record in the World show on Wednesday evening, the electronic pop trio CHVRCHES have returned with the incredibly catchy single ‘Get Out’. The band have spent the last year out of the limelight crafting their third studio album (widely rumoured to be titled Love is Dead) with production assistance from acclaimed producer and multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin. Both Kurstin and the National’s Matt Berninger cameo in a small preview video uploaded to the band’s Vevo channel on YouTube.
'CHVRCHES’ incredibly successful debut The Bones of What You Believe and the follow up record Every Open Eye were both chocked to the brim with well-written pop songs, with an aggressive production style that relied heavily on washing synths and manipulated vocal samples. The band channel much more of the previous formulae in ‘Get Out’ - the track oozes catchy pop, with a clinical synthesiser-led production and a typically powerful performance from primary vocalist Lauren Mayberry. Even with a less varied lyric sheet than previous CHVRCHES’ songs, her voice is utterly commanding. In particular the dreamy post-chorus hook ‘You are a kaleidoscope’ is just unforgettable, and perhaps even serves better than the dynamic but simplistic chorus, which some may find a bit too sugary for their taste. But as a whole effort the track is concise and certainly hits home in the ‘pop banger’ department.
Considering the rumoured change in direction for CHVRCHES’ music for the third album, ‘Get Out’ is surprisingly not too much of a diversion either in style or in songwriting. It’s not exactly innovation or reinvention, but more of a show of the band’s gradual evolution. Fans should still be intrigued and excited however about the upcoming album, as ‘Get Out’ shows that CHVRCHES is still very much in brilliant form.
‘Get Out’ is available to stream/download now via Virgin EMI Records. CHVRCHES’ third album is expected to be released in early 2018.
