Chvrches – Screen Violence (Liberator Music)

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Chvrches fourth album, Screen Violence, recaptures the distinctive indie-electronica of their first two albums after a disappointing third album, where they went went for a more mainstream pop sound.

Screen Violence, is a powerful set of songs created by Lauren Mayberry vocals with Iain Cook and Martin Doherty synthesisers, samplers, piano, guitars and bass. The tracks have anthemic hooks which contrast with Mayberry’s dark lyrics that consider and critique the violence we encounter in life, on TV, at the movies and online.  There are recurring themes in the lyrics about gender roles, loss and isolation sung in Mayberry’s distinctive high vocals.

The album’s first lyrics are “I don’t want to say That I’m afraid to die  I’m no good at goodbyes” from the track Asking For A Friend. Musically the track has muscular mechanical beats and unsettling synthesised noise as Mayberry recounts a series of questions, that are clearly her own rather than for a friend, “And the songs I wrote ‘bout hearts I broke.”

Across the album there are songs that echo and reflect each other. Asking For A Friend is followed by the booming drums and keyboards of He Said She Said. The lyrics recount the unrealistic demands and expectations made of women by men “Look good. But don’t be obsessed” and the effect on women “I feel like I’m using my mind.” Mayberry’s vocals sound very much like a woman on the edge.

If you hunt around YouTube there is an acoustic version of this song, with Mayberry’s voice accompanied by piano and guitar. This demonstrates the strength of song’s lyrics and melody away from the powering electronica used on the album.

There is a change of pace with the next  track California, this uses the metaphor of the West Coast of America to represent the success you are working hard to attain. There is a parallel to this in the Wolf Alice track Delicious Things on their 2021 album Blue Weekend. California uses heavily treated bass and guitar to swirl around Mayberry’s vocals as she contemplate whether all the sacrifices made for success were worth it.

There are two outstanding tracks at the middle the album, Violent Delights and How Not To Drown. On Violent Delights, Martin Doherty’s vocals contrast to Mayberry’s as the ominous synthesisers sounds rise and fall dramatically to match the build and release from tension in the vocals. The dark lyrics of How Not To Drown are sung by Mayberry with Robert Smith. As they trade verses his vocals add power and depth to a tale in which “We will never escape this town.”

There are then a couple of interesting pairings of tracks, with Final Girl followed by Good Girls, and then the contrast in titles and music between Lullabies and  Nightmares.

The use of guitars is a noticeable musical element of this album and Final Girl uses layers of guitars to add power to the metaphor of the girl in a horror film that has, apparently, survived to the end.  Good Girls is another take on unrealistic expectations of women and Mayberry’s rejection of those expectations, ‘Good girls don’t cry And good girls don’t lie And good girls satisfy but I won’t.” The track bounces along on a marching bass riff and clapping drums as the lyrics take aim at misogyny.

Lullabies starts with gentle ringing synthesisers and a slow, rhythmic pace. As the song progresses it drops down to highlight Mayberry’s voice singing “Paralysed and spinning backwards Lullabies don’t comfort me.”  The lyrics create a feeling of paranoia and the disconcerting rhythms add to this effect. On Nightmares the issues of forgiving and forgetting are ruminated on over a wall of synthesised noise and aggressive drum beats.

The album concludes with the gentile, acoustic strumming of Better If You Don’t. The softly sung lyrics echo earlier song references to thinking about friends and to tinseltown. After the intensity of the previous nine tracks the warm sound and reflective lyrics of this song make an appropriately soft end to the album. It allows you to breathe again after the trauma and tension of the earlier songs.

As well as the benefit of the collaboration with Robert Smith, two collaborations with visual artists are significant.

Firstly, three songs have had videos’ released that were directed by Scott Kiernan. These videos share a common colour palate and recurring images such as a revolving door, a photographic dark room and emphasis on Mayberry’s dyed blonde hair that makes her look like the archetype woman from horror movies. The combined effect of the repetition of images is to amplify the themes of the album and embed the visuals in our head along with the music.

The other collaboration is with film director John Carpenter, well known for his work in the horror genre with Halloween and the soundtracks for his films. They have released a shared single where they remixed work of each other and Carpenter provides a slow, droning and spooky version of Good Girls.

While this isn’t a concept album, it does have recurring common references, such as knowingly to Mayberry as a songwriter and regular online presence on issues she feels strongly about. The musical and lyrical trails through the album make this a coherent and powerful statement about important issues relating to misuse of power and way the online world can sustain and amplify this. Screen Violence is a very good album with musical muscle and powerful feminist views that is enjoyable and important to listen to.

John Bradbury

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John Bradbury
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