Review Summary: Catchy, fun and warm, Recover makes up for its brevity with a bounty of huge hooks and energetic instrumentation
Recover’s layers of tightly produced electronics and immensely catchy choruses are hard not to fall in love with, clustered full of bright synthesisers and punchy beats but managing to remain cohesive and solid. With hooks as powerful as these, CHVRCHES have no need to resort to just beefing up the volume, and they sure now how to craft some seriously catchy hooks - almost too many to pack into an EP as short as this without them all trying to burst out at once. “Recover” boasts the largest of the album, with sparkling synthesisers underneath igniting its spacey/night-time vibe. “ZVVL” is a little softer and a little darker, with Martin Doherty’s vocals taking the helm and Lauren Mayberry’s flickering in the background as the track slowly builds up before dropping into a gentle beat-driven segment. And “Now Is Not The Time” features Doherty and Mayberry’s vocals intertwining in the song’s feel-good chorus.
It's CHVRCHES’ ability to combine catchy melodies (which is pretty much every single one on the EP), delicate instrumentation and tightly coiled production which makes
Recover such an enjoyable and refreshing listen. Lauren Mayberry’s vocals are adorable but powerful, with the slight tweak of her Glaswegian accent bringing the final endearing touch to the band’s music, and both Mayberry and Doherty’s vocals are brushed with subtle vocoders, adding to the glistening neon vibe without compromising the heart-felt nature of the music. With only just over 10 minutes of completely original music (and another two (unnecessary) remixes to add to the band’s collection),
Recover is a little bit of a tease, but CHVRCHES have enough goodness overflowing from these three slices of electro-pop perfection to show loud and clear what they are capable of for the future. Until then,
Recover should be more than enough.
