Between 2014’s eponymous debut and 2017’s ‘Antisocialites’, Canadian indie darlings Alvvays are proficient in the art of making effervescent, rollicking anthems. Their first two records were almost algorithmic in their mastery of archetypal bubblegum indie rock, leaving them with a reliable discography of dreamy and wildly popular, though uniform, tunes. In the five years since their monumental sophomore album, however, the quintet took a step back from their methodical prudency and approached 2022’s ‘Blue Rev’ with a freer spirit.
Cheeky and about as experimental as the band has dared to go in their eight years, the record bounces between eager forays into mammoth, new-found heaviness and blissful jaunts back into Alvvays’ signature saccharine, Candyland sound. It’s dexterous in other ways, too, with subject matter that totters between misanthropic angst and tender moments of understanding.
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This record boasts Alvvays’ longest tracklist to date, with 14 songs that offer a level of intricacy and simultaneous breadth. ‘Pharmacist’ is an expansive opener, with snarling guitars that meld into empyreal enchantment. Elements of their characteristic dazey, mellow essence are clear on ‘Tom Verlaine’, ‘Many Mirrors’, and ‘Velveteen’. ‘Very Online Guy’ is experimental and quirky, with bizarre layered vocals and psych-rock-leaning electronic effects. ‘Tile By Tile’ has a sense of ghoulish phantasm with orchestral strings and commanding organ.
The high point of the album is ‘Pomeranian Spinster’, a fiery track with a feminist punk leaning, singer Molly Rankin launching satirical lyrics like cannonballs. She bellows the lines, “Going to get what I want / I don’t care who it hurts / Took the lessons that I’ve learned / Once shy twice burned,” with urgency and sincerity that transcends the track’s tongue-in-cheek angst. The record ends on a hazy, contemplative note with ‘Fourth Figure’, whose spectral intimacy is welcomed in the midst of such an imposing record.
Though the record’s title, ‘Blue Rev’, references a drink from Rankin’s youth, Alvvays have grown up. The future that was so distantly contrived on their self-titled debut and looming on their sophomore record has arrived, but they’ve proven that maturation doesn’t have to be stale. On the contrary, ‘Blue Rev’ is a magical, twisty excursion to a crossroads where the band simultaneously reflects on yesteryear and explores the turbulence of divergent realities.
8/10
Words: Bella Savignano
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