Chvrches: Starting The Conversation

The Glaswegian synth-pop band’s keyboardist Martin Doherty on working with producer Greg Kurstin in the States on their third album ‘Love Is Dead,’ politics and scaling up on all fronts

- Anurag Tagat

IF THERE’S ONE SOLID DISTINCTION TO Glasgow synth-pop band Chvrches, it’s how they sing about the saddest things over the brightest hues of electronic music. It’s not entirely accurate to say that the trio—Martin Doherty on synth, bassist, guitarist and keyboardist Iain Cook and vocalist Lauren Mayberry—make either happy or sad songs. Doherty says over the phone from New York, “I guess the complete range of human emotions are represented in music one way or another. I think most of them are on this record.”

That’s where the intrigue and allure of Chvrches exists, nodding towards Eighties electronic, pop and modern indie rock on critically acclaimed albums like The Bones of What You Believe (2013) and following it up with the even more charged up Every Open Eye (2015). With their latest, Love Is Dead (out last month), the trio are likely to ascend to the top of the charts, going from strength to strength both sonically and lyrically. This time around, Mayberry isn’t just singing about heartbreak. There’s references to politics, sexism and examining truth in the 21st century. That sounds like a lot of harsh lessons.

Working with Greg Kurstin (Adele, Sia, Beck, Foo Fighters) and transported out of their Scottish comfort zones to Los Angeles and New York, Doherty says that they never felt like they were in a different country while they were picking out songs from a longlist of 40 compositions. They spent about a year recording it all. Doherty adds that the major change was his outlook and mindset in the past year. “Depression and intensity was part of my overall life that I used to create [music.]

In an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone India, Doherty talks about band dynamics, moving out of Glasgow and music festivals. Excerpts: