Love Is Dead (Chvrches album)

Love Is Dead
Studio album by Chvrches
Released 25 May 2018 (2018-05-25)
Recorded February–December 2017
Studio
Genre Synth-pop[1]
Length 49:03
Label
Producer
Chvrches chronology
Every Open Eye
(2015)		 Love Is Dead
(2018)
Singles from Love Is Dead
  1. "Get Out"
    Released: 31 January 2018
  2. "My Enemy"
    Released: 28 February 2018
  3. "Never Say Die"
    Released: 29 March 2018
  4. "Miracle"
    Released: 10 April 2018
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The A.V. ClubB[4]
Drowned in Sound9/10[5]
The Independent[6]
NME[7]
Pitchfork6.3/10[1]
Rolling Stone[8]
The Skinny[9]
Slant Magazine[10]
Under the Radar[11]

Love Is Dead is the third studio album by Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches. It was released on 25 May 2018 by Virgin EMI Records and Goodbye Records. The album was co-produced by Greg Kurstin, marking the first time the band have worked with outside producers. The band collaborated with David Stewart from Eurythmics and Matt Berninger from The National during production. The album was announced by Martin Doherty at the start of January 2018, with frontwoman Lauren Mayberry accidentally revealing the album's name in a since-deleted interview that same month.

After wiping their social media accounts, the band released the lead single "Get Out" on 31 January. The track listing for the album was released two days before the next single, "My Enemy", which featured Berninger, was released on 28 February. The third single from the album, "Never Say Die", was released on 29 March. "Miracle" was released as the fourth single on 10 April.

Background

In September 2015, the band released their second studio album, Every Open Eye, two years after the release of their critically acclaimed debut album, The Bones of What You Believe. It received positive reviews and spawned the singles "Leave a Trace", "Clearest Blue", "Never Ending Circles" and "Empty Threat". Besides releasing the song "Warning Call", co-written with Solar Fields, for the game Mirror's Edge Catalyst, and releasing a version of "Bury It" with Paramore's Hayley Williams, the band stayed relatively quiet for the rest of the year and the next.

On 1 January 2018, Martin Doherty announced that the band would release an album within the year.[12] That same month, Lauren Mayberry "accidentally" confirmed this and revealed the album's title in an interview, which has been since deleted.[13] On 26 February, the band revealed the tracklist to the album on Twitter.[14]

Recording and production

The band started working on Love Is Dead on 7 February 2017 in Los Angeles.[15] In 24 February, David Stewart, formerly one-half of the musical duo Eurythmics, revealed that he was in the studio with the band.[16] Greg Kurstin was revealed as a producer for the album on 12 December, with work nearing completion.[17] According to an article from The Independent, the band opted for more universal topics instead of introspection during production, jotting down ideas in a notebook whenever an opportunity passed.[18]

Musical style

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the band described their work with Kurstin as "the most pop stuff we've done and also the most aggressive and vulnerable at the same time".[19][20][21] On Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show, on the premiere of "Get Out", Mayberry said that, "After Every Open Eye, we went back into a little writing studio – this time in New York – but we still wanted to take a little time to work out where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do. We decided this time we wanted to work with a producer. I think it was really good for us to be pushed to do things differently and take risks." She also explained the album would take an "honest" approach. "If it's going to be more pop it should be more aggressively pop – there's no doing things in half measures. It was nice to not be second guessing ourselves. It's still consistent with what we've done before but it feels like it'll be more of a live experience."[22]

Promotion

Singles

The album's lead single, "Get Out", premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 31 January 2018, where Annie Mac dubbed it the Hottest Record in the World; it was released the same day.[23] The second single, "My Enemy", featuring vocals from Matt Berninger of The National, was named Zane Lowe's World Record when it premiered on Beats 1 in 28 February, after the tracklist and artwork reveal.[24] "Never Say Die" was released on 29 March, the third single from the album.[25] Premiered on BBC Radio 1, "Miracle" was released on 10 April as the fourth and final single. It is the album's only song recorded in the United Kingdom.[26]

Multimedia

Prior to the release of "Get Out", and after wiping all of their social media accounts, the band released a short video with a weblink captioned "GET IN", which contained a link that would lead to a Facebook Messenger page made by the band.[27][28] Furthermore, in the music video for the respective single, alongside Matt Berninger taping an advertisement, a poster advertised a phone number. When called, Mayberry reads part of the lyrics to "My Enemy".[29]

Commercial performance

Love Is Dead debuted at number seven on the UK Albums Chart, selling 11,763 copies in its first week.[30]

Track listing

All tracks written by Iain Cook, Martin Doherty, Lauren Mayberry and Greg Kurstin, and produced by Kurstin; except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Graffiti"  3:38
2."Get Out"  3:51
3."Deliverance"  4:12
4."My Enemy" (featuring Matt Berninger)
  • Cook
  • Doherty
  • Mayberry
Chvrches3:53
5."Forever"  3:44
6."Never Say Die"  4:23
7."Miracle"
  • Mac
  • Chvrches
3:08
8."Graves"  4:43
9."Heaven/Hell"  5:05
10."God's Plan"
  • Cook
  • Doherty
  • Mayberry
Chvrches3:31
11."Really Gone"
  • Cook
  • Doherty
  • Mayberry
Chvrches3:11
12."II"  1:09
13."Wonderland"  4:35
Total length:49:03

Notes

  • "II" is stylised in lowercase letters

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Love Is Dead.[31]

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[32] 7
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[33] 16
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[34] 60
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[35] 86
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[36] 22
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[37] 88
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[38] 16
Irish Albums (IRMA)[39] 15
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[40] 35
Scottish Albums (OCC)[41] 5
South Korean International Albums (Gaon)[42] 3
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[43] 81
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[44] 27
UK Albums (OCC)[45] 7
US Billboard 200[46] 11
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[47] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[48] 1

Notes

  1. ↑ Tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12 and 13
  2. ↑ Tracks 4, 10 and 11
  3. ↑ Track 10
  4. ↑ Track 7

References

  1. 1 2 Snapes, Laura (30 May 2018). "Chvrches: Love Is Dead". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Reviews for Love Is Dead by Chvrches". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  3. ↑ Phares, Heather. "Love Is Dead – Chvrches". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  4. ↑ Ryan, Kyle (25 May 2018). "Chvrches, Wooden Shjips, and more albums to know about this week". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  5. ↑ Wylde, Nicoletta (23 May 2018). "Chvrches – Love Is Dead". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  6. ↑ Kaplan, Ilana (23 May 2018). "Chvrches, Snow Patrol, Jenny Hval, Artificial Pleasure and more – this week's albums, reviewed". The Independent. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  7. ↑ Hunt, El (24 May 2018). "CHVRCHES – 'Love Is Dead' Review". NME. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  8. ↑ Johnston, Maura (25 May 2018). "Review: Chvrches Super-Size Their Epic Synth-Pop on Third LP 'Love Is Dead'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  9. ↑ Ogden, Chris (21 May 2018). "CHVRCHES – Love Is Dead". The Skinny. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  10. ↑ Goller, Josh (17 May 2018). "Chvrches: Love Is Dead". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  11. ↑ Watkins, Michael (24 May 2018). "CHVRCHES: Love Is Dead". Under the Radar. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  12. ↑ Vierra, Erin (2 January 2018). "Martin Doherty of Chvrches Says New Album and Tour Coming in 2018". mxdwn. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  13. ↑ "Love Is Dead – CHVRCHES". Genius. 23 January 2018.
  14. ↑ Maicki, Salvatore (26 February 2018). "CHVRCHES detail third album". The Fader. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  15. ↑ "CHVRCHES have started working on album three". DIY. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  16. ↑ Howard, Lindsay (24 February 2017). "CHVRCHES in Studio Working on Third Album". Variance. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  17. ↑ martin (12 December 2017). "We are currently putting the finishing touches on "the most aggressive and vulnerable" album we've ever made". @doksan. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  18. ↑ Kaplan, Ilana (12 December 2017). "Chvrches reveal first look at new album". The Independent. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  19. ↑ Vain, Madison (12 December 2017). "Chvrches' Lauren Mayberry breaks down their new LP: 'It's the most pop stuff we've done'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  20. ↑ Dickman, Maggie (31 January 2018). "Hear CHVRCHES' addictive new pop anthem, "Get Out"". Alternative Press. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  21. ↑ Wass, Mike (31 January 2018). "Chvrches Is Back With Greg Kurstin-Produced Single "Get Out"". Idolator. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  22. ↑ Daly, Rhian (31 January 2018). "Listen to Chvrches' massive new single 'Get Out'". NME. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  23. ↑ "Hey @CHVRCHES fans!". @BBCR1. 2018-01-31. Retrieved 1 March 2018. Hey @CHVRCHES fans! @AnnieMac's playing brand new music for the first time anywhere in the world! Make sure you're locked in! http://bbc.in/2EtBykr pic.twitter.com/igI6QjPMdL
  24. ↑ O'Neill, Lauren (1 March 2018). "CHVRCHES' New Track "My Enemy" Features The National's Matt Berninger". Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  25. ↑ Shutler, Ali (28 March 2018). "CHVRCHES bring the heat with their latest banger 'Never Say Die'". Dork. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  26. ↑ Hunt, El (10 April 2018). "Chvrches share new track 'Miracle'". NME. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  27. ↑ "CHVRCHES Are Teasing New Music via Facebook Messenger". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  28. ↑ "Chvrches Share Cryptic New Video: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  29. ↑ Daly, Rhian (31 January 2018). "Listen to Chvrches' massive new single 'Get Out'". NME. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  30. ↑ Jones, Alan (1 June 2018). "Charts analysis: Greatest Showman holds on at albums summit". Music Week. Retrieved 6 June 2018. (Subscription required (help)).
  31. ↑ Love Is Dead (liner notes). Chvrches. Virgin EMI Records. 2018. CDV 3200.
  32. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  33. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Chvrches – Love Is Dead" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  34. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Chvrches – Love Is Dead" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  35. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Chvrches – Love Is Dead" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  36. ↑ "Shawn Mendes Locks In With His 3rd No. 1 Album". FYIMusicNews. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  37. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Chvrches – Love Is Dead" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  38. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Chvrches – Love Is Dead" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  39. ↑ "Irish Albums Chart: 1 June 2018". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  40. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  41. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  42. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart – Week 27, 2018". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  43. ↑ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 22: del 25.5.2018 al 31.5.2018" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  44. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Chvrches – Love Is Dead". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  45. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  46. ↑ "Chvrches Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  47. ↑ "Chvrches Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  48. ↑ "Chvrches Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
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