After I talked so much about this album in my review of Chvrches’s debut, The Bones of What You Believe, I thought it’d be fitting to review it. What we have here is Chvrches totally swerving the sophomore slump and getting right to the good stuff.

I view Every Open Eye as an improvement over their debut album. The group expanded upon everything that made their debut so successful. The lyrics here are tighter, the instrumentals and vocal samples more effective, and Lauren’s voice sounds better than before. Every Open Eye sounds very similar to The Bones of What You Believe, but the delivery here is more even and well-rounded than the debut, especially the production.

My main complaint with The Bones of What You Believe is the production. For lack of a better word, it is uneven. I believe the band was experimenting with a few different production styles on the debut, but they never really honed in on one set style. Every Open Eye is the complete opposite. Here we have Chvrches expanding upon one definitive production style. The production on this album is huge, and this album’s greatest strength is the production. Every Open Eye is a very cheerful album; quite the antithesis to The Bones of What You Believe, which is a darker affair. Chvrches sounds triumphant on tracks like Make Them Gold and Bury It, both of which deal with overcoming hardships and bettering yourself.

High Enough to Carry You Over and Empty Threat deal with similar topics as well. Tracks like those help to give the whole album a much happier feel than The Bones of What You Believe. Because of that, the debate of The Bones of What You Believe vs. Every Open Eye is a tough one, and it really does come down to the darker album vs. the cheerier album. It’s all personal preference, but I simply adore how hyperactive this album is. Chvrches is just everywhere on this album. They do the fast-paced blazers like Never Ending Circles and Keep You On My Side, but Chvrches also balances those tracks out with stuff like Down Side of Me and Afterglow. Afterglow, the album’s closer, is simply beautiful. It’s one of Chvrches’s simpler cuts, but it is so effective. The entire song is composed of just two things: Lauren’s voice and a synth track. Those two elements work beautifully together and create some mesmerizing moments.

The pacing of these tracks is insanely good. I still find it hard to believe that this is only the group’s second effort. Chvrches writes song like songwriting is a craft they’ve been honing for years and years. I even think the songwriting is a step up from their debut. All of the tracks here are extremely memorable, and the length of the album is just perfect. The album clocks in at a total of 42 minutes, which is just enough time for Chvrches to come in, make their mark, and leave without overstaying their welcome. But yeah, Chvrches alternates between faster paced stuff and more mellow tracks perfectly. What I’m getting at is that this creates epic contrasts between songs like High Enough to Carry You Over and Leave a Trace, making the album feel like a completely immersive listen.

The performances from every band member is really high caliber stuff too. Lauren Mayberry’s performance is pretty comparable to her work on the debut. She’s definitely improved as a vocalist, but their isn’t that drastic of a change. Although, she has changed up her vocal delivery just a little bit. Like when she needs her voice to be soft and fragile on Afterglow, she is able to expertly communicate her emotions through her timbre. Her highs are also cleaner on this album than they were on the debut. She hits some higher notes in stuff like Empty Threat and Make Them Gold.

Speaking of vocal performances, Martin Doherty’s voice is leaps and bounds better than it was on the debut. There is only one track he has lead vocals on here, and that is High Enough to Carry You Over (which is an awesome song!!). Simply put, he comes off as a better singer here than he did on the debut. Her delivery is tighter and his voice is less shaky. One thing about the debut that really irked me was that his voice was so drastically different than Lauren’s. I don’t think his voice fit the dark sound of the debut, but here, we have a much cheerier Chvrches. His voice is extremely welcome in the context of the album’s sound.

Iain Cook, who plays bass for Chvrches, is featured much more prominently on this album. The two cuts his bass plays a huge part in are Playing Dead and Make Them Gold. In those two tracks, his bass, along with Lauren’s voice, adds a human element to the electronic soundscape. His bass tone is great; it rumbles and booms alongside the blazing synths in the verses to Playing Dead to create a truly unique mix of sounds.

It’s been about three or four months (and about 30+ listens) since I’ve first heard the album, and it still floors me whenever I listen to it. Even when I nitpick about the band’s production or performance here, it’s hard for me to come up with legitimate complaints about this album’s missteps. The entire effort is extremely well rounded, and such an improvement over the band’s debut. Even the songwriting, which was immense on the group’s debut, has managed to improve.

The Verdict

Every Open Eye is a must hear for 2015. Chvrches manages to improve every single element that made their debut as acclaimed as it was. Every Open Eye is by far the greatest electronic pop album I’ve ever heard. Actually scratch that, it’s one of the greatest albums I’ve ever had the chance of listening to. Definitely pick this one up if you’re looking to either expand your taste or dig into some newer pop music.

The Bones of What You Believe, Chvrches (2013) Review