Sometimes it is highly refreshing and welcomed when a band form under very specific, if almost unimaginable circumstances. Take Churches for instance, a new three-piece formed of Iain Cook formerly of Aerogramme, Martin Doherty of The Twilight Sad and Lauren Mayberry who lent her vocals to Blue Sky Archives. Their variant sounds of anthemic slow-rock, pumping indie and ambient chillwave have effectively become the building blocks for Churches; musical DNA that has evolved and subsumed into something very edgy, almost razor sharp in fact. What makes these newcomers altogether more interesting is that they come from Glasgow, Scotland, a city not exactly noted for producing electro-pop extraordinaires. It is these little facets of differentiation that hypnotise and entrance people to enter into Churches' world of music and intrigue. Keenly praised and plaudits aplenty Churches are intelligently working under the Neon Gold label, famous for nurturing stars like Ellie Goulding, Passion Pit, Marina And The Diamonds and Icona Pop. The Glaswegian band produce an unmistakable sound, highly distinguishable and prominent. Coined as 'Neon Gold Pop' by fellow Brightonian blog The Recommender, it is immediately clear these guys can make mammoth electro-savvy pop stormers.
"Lies" Instantly starts off with a stampeding militia-esque drum beat that is somewhat imposing and threatening; Paul Lester of The Guardian mentions that this calamitous shower of beats is reminiscent to Dizzee Rascal's "Fix Up Look Sharp", while Owl By Night wholeheartedly agrees with this sentiment, we cannot help but be reminded of "The Fox" by Swedish sensations Niki And The Dove who glue their track together with a grinding, bashful beat. This background onslaught deeply roots the song to provide pyramidal rigidity and consistency which allows Churches' other musical elements to enter the fore and dazzle eardrums. Intermittent electrical 'sighs' for want of a better word, agitate the backing drum beats and skip between Mayberry's staccato lyrical deliverance in tandem with abrasive mechanical keying. The effect is punchy and feels viscous in places where Mayberry's 'stop-start' performance in combination with the interacting music connotes a sense of suffocation and emotive flux. What is most attractive about "Lies" is the chorus. The almost laboured and exasperated vocals tell a story and are soaked in lyrical sensibility bringing a dynamic edge and tangible depth to the track all whilst a dramatic audio battle takes place in the background where menacing synths bludgeon industrial beats and drums. The energetic compositions of Churches makes this first single completely enthralling adding a new direction to electro-pop that we are not usually accustomed to, their follow-up will be eagerly anticipated.
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