CHVRCHES: Love Is Dead

I want to love Chvrches.  Really, I do.  Their last album, Open Every Eye, had three genuinely rousing dance-pop songs on it, and those three good tunes saved what would have been an absolute trifle of a sophomore album.  But three albums in, the thrill of discovery is wearing off, and this band is quickly headed for one-trick-guilty-pleasure territory.  At this point, they need to bring another guitar into the mix or hit the bass drops a little harder- something to justify their rotation on rock radio before they go the way of Shiny Toy Guns.  

About the edgiest thing Love is Dead has going for it is its title.  Which, let's face it, isn't even that edgy, and it's ill-fitting for an album this soft.  Get Out is a catchy little first single, but sounds absolutely nothing like the blistering kiss-off it wants to be.  Never Say Die is equally unconvincing, as singer Lauren Mayberry sticks to her vocal comfort zone when she could have gone for an anthem.  Heaven/Hell finds Mayberry stretching her voice just a tiny bit further than that usual range.  "Is it enough?" she asks on that one.  No, not really, but the effort is appreciated.  

Again, I want to love Chvrches, because they've gotten this far on the strength of some memorable hooks.  Their 2015 single Leave A Trace was a great juxtaposition of angry lyricism and upbeat delivery.  The little bit of piss and vinegar that Mayberry brought to those vocals would go a long way in some of these new songs.  Lauren, if you're reading, stop holding back.  Don't be afraid to scream or groan or crack your voice once in a while.  If love is really dead, what do you have to lose?  C