Chvrches - Every Open Eye

Emma Goldman was famously quoted as saying “Any revolution without dancing is not a revolution worth having.” On Scottish synthpop band’s breakout debut The Bones Of What You Believe, Chvrches paired infectious melodies and club beats with the brittle militancy of post-punk, suggesting an army of camo-wearing anarchists out for a night on the town, letting off some steam.

On Every Open Eye, it seems that the dancing is the revolution, updating the blurry, cinematic M83-indebted anthems to an album of bright, shiny, major-key primary-colored club bangers wouldn’t sound out of place on a Carly Rae Jepsen or Taylor Swift record. And while this progression risks Chvrches sounding like everybody else out there and eradicating what is unique and special, Chvrches overcome this trap with hard work and insane attention to detail.

Every Open Eye offers one up-tempo club anthem after another, only slackening the momentum with the slow-dance balladry of “High Enough” and finale “Bow Down”, perfect soundtracks for your next ‘80s revival prom. The homogoneity of the tempos and reliance on bright major-key synths sometimes negates the emotionality of singer Lauren Mayberry’s tales of loss and seeking closure – a simulacrum of emotion, rather than the real thing.

There are times for intense self-reflection and times to move on and forget it all. In an uncertain world, with so many problems great and small, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, not knowing which way to turn. The best thing may be to go out and lose your shit on the dancefloor. You’ll feel better in the morning.

— Words by J. Simpson