Single of the Week: CHVRCHES - "Recover"

It's hard to understand the instant appeal of CHVRCHES' music; their successful formula that they've employed to the handful of songs they've so far released. It certainly has something to do with their simplicity. "Recover", from the upcoming EP of the same name, is the latest of their "#1-smash-hits-in-a-perfect-society", and goes some way to proving this point. It starts loudly and unexpectantly, vocal and sampled drum in unison, with no room for intro, a lengthy bridge, or any part that isn't verse or chorus (even then the former is only really there to accentuate the latter). But of course there is more going on here. Huge synth sounds are everywhere. Martin Doherty's breathy, processed male backing vocals are the softer companions to Lauren Mayberry's brasher, "anthemic" offerings. There isn't much variation between this single and their last, but that hardly matters. CHVRCHES understand how to adapt the dynamics of volume, tempo and intensity in a way that really works for them.



Here's a remix of "Recover" by Cid Rim, which presumably will also feature on the Recover EP:

Single of the Week: Chvrches - "The Mother We Share"

The latest single from Glasgow-based electro pop newcomers Chvrches may bear similarities with more than just a name of a certain other song, but when all the best qualities of the genre's expansions over the last ten years are present, the end result is an undeniably catchy and rewarding pop hit. "The Mother We Share" has icy, disembodied vocal "oo"'s, handclaps, lyrics like "the way is long but you can make it easy on me", and most importantly a great big synthesized chorus, but what Chvrches create is bigger than the sum of its parts. It's universal, euphoric, and just too loveable to dismiss; that more than makes up for its lack of originality by crafting from the sounds around as brilliantly as possible.