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CHVRCHES: “We can still work together in a really easy and exciting way”
After their debut album, Chvrches found themselves touring the world for almost two years solidly. Now they’re setting their sights on a second offering by flexing those muscles once again.
For some bands who spend endless time out on the road, it can be somewhat difficult to get back into the groove of recording. Not Chvrches. Having spent the past two years constantly touring – their tally boasts an impressive 365 shows over the past twenty four months – it’d be easy to assume that the trio would plan on giving themselves a bit of downtime before approaching the next hurdle, but not this band. 2015 will see them open up the next chapter of their band, and they’re going in prepared.
“We’ve now done a lot of writing on the road,” admits the band’s Martin Doherty, as 2014 draws to a close. The band finished touring about two weeks ago, and already he’s eager to start the motor up again. “I think, initially, we were reluctant to do it: we sort of wanted to protect the dynamic of ‘three people in a room at once’ idea, because that’s the way that the first album came about. When you’ve been on tour as much as we have been in the past two years, you don’t really have a choice. You either create on the road or you don’t do anything and the idea of coming back after three years of doing absolutely nothing - and not even working those muscles creatively - is insane.”
As it stands, the band will begin work on the follow-up to ‘The Bones of What You Believe’ halfway through January, and they’ve seemingly already got elements with which they can play. “I’ll write a verse and a chorus, and one production hook but not take it any further because when we get into the studio, we can flesh it out. Now, there’s between twenty five and thirty ideas; verse, chorus song structures or melodic ideas kicking around which will be really useful in the studio, but they’re not the be all and end all of the recording process.”
The three-piece are also sure that album number two isn’t going to be a major move away from its predecessor. During interviews last festival season, they were seen to confirm it’ll just be more of a progression, than a jump away from their current alchemy, and Doherty confirms that. “It’s interesting,” he starts. “I mean, it’ll be audibly the same band. It’ll be the same writers, and the same songwriting styles, but as for how the songs are dressed, that’s never been as important to me. That’s really informed by what we’re listening to at the time, whether it’s old music or new music or just the things that inspire us generally. A big part of the recording process is the few months before it when we’re just digesting as much music as possible and figuring out where you’re at in terms of where your tastes are at. I think it’ll be a lot to do with that.”
And having recently recorded two songs for other projects – ‘Get Away’ for the recent BBC Radio 1 Rescores: Drive and ‘Dead Air’ from the Lorde-curated soundtrack for the most recent The Hunger Games – they’ve also had the opportunity to warm themselves up before really shifting back into gear. “We had a couple of days to do each of those songs, to write them and finish them, just because of the schedule. But it occurred to me that that was the first time we had all sat in a studio in Glasgow together and written together for some time. We’ve been bouncing ideas back and forward of course, but it was the first time we had a chance to write in that same way. There was an element of relief because it was like, ‘Okay, we haven’t been on tour for two years and forgotten where we’re at!’ We can still work together in a really easy and exciting way.”
Taken from the February issue of DIY, out now. CHVRCHES’ new album is being recorded in Glasgow now.
Records, etc at
CHVRCHES - The Bones Of What You Believe (10th Anniversary Edition) (Vinyl LP - black)
CHVRCHES - The Bones Of What You Believe (10th Anniversary Edition) (Vinyl LP - clear)
CHVRCHES - The Bones Of What You Believe (Vinyl LP)
CHVRCHES - The Bones Of What You Believe (Cd)
CHVRCHES - Screen Violence (Cd)
CHVRCHES - Screen Violence (Vinyl LP - black)
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