'Blue Rev' Review: Alvvays Good Music

Alvvays first enraptured listeners with their 2014 breakout hit, “Archie, Marry Me.” With fuzzy, distorted guitars juxtaposed with a sugary, catchy melody, the elation and heartbreak of being young and in love especially resonated with fans. Ever since then, they have amassed a cult following, all eager to pick apart every song in their discography and hungry for more. Thus, it is no surprise that the announcement of their new album was met with much anticipation.

After a five-year hiatus, Alvvays has returned. And, they sound better than ever. “Blue Rev,” the band’s latest album released on Oct. 7, perfects the unique brand of shoegazey indie pop Alvvays has held tightly to over the course of their discography. The album, “Blue Rev,” named after an alcoholic soda drink lead singer Molly Rankin and keys player Kerri Maclellan would drink as teenagers, reflects the sleek, fizzy, and delightful songs on the album. Throughout the album, Alvvays displays their growth as a band and their penchant for power pop. With each song, they master the perfect, larger-than-life hook, drop the percussion in at the right time, make magnificent key changes, and distort the guitar just enough for the song to melt into a fuzzy, lovesick haze.

The lead single, “Pharmacist,” is a mission statement for the album. In the song, Rankin describes that awkward and melodramatic feeling of seeing an ex in simple terms, “I know you’re back / I saw your sister at the pharmacy picking up / Said you have that new love glow.” When Rankin sings “pharmacy,” the distorted, fuzzy guitars come crashing in, giving the lyrics that much more emotional weight and gut-wrenching emotion. As the guitars swirl around Rankin’s sweet vocals, the percussion, reverb, and background vocals kick in to perfection. The song ends in a daze of guitar, with Alvvays’s guitarist O’Hanley shredding the song into oblivion.

Alvvays are transparent with their inspirations. In an interview with Stereogum, Rankin cites Sonic Youth, The Smiths, Yo La Tengo, and Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Go’s as major influences of “Blue Rev” and their music in general. These influences come across subtly in “Blue Rev.” Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo’s rock experimentation is heard in “Blue Rev”’s interesting guitar solos, motifs, and distortion. Their past work has been inspired by the Jesus and Mary Chain. Clearly, shoegaze and rock have major impact on their musical vision. However, they also respect a good pop hook, and this comes across in the song “Belinda Says.”

Making direct reference to Carlisle’s massive hit, “Heaven Is a Place On Earth,” Rankin describes a character using the radio to escape a difficult romantic situation. “Belinda says that heaven is a place on Earth / Well, so is hell,” Rankin sings, with a belt that imbues heartbreak and escapism to the song. And, with a winking nod to Carlisle’s song, Rankin shifts key at the end of the song also, making for an anthemic end to the emotional centerpiece to “Blue Rev.”

In other parts of the album, Alvvays’s dedication to the production is made very apparent. Each song has its own beautifully catchy hook, the percussion always comes in at the perfect time, the reverb gives each song the right amount of space and atmosphere, the guitar grounds the songs in a haze of noise, and the key changes are timed perfectly. “Pressed” ebbs between a saddening minor key, and a bittersweet major key, “Easy On Your Own?” has showstopping percussion, and “Velveteen” has Rankin reach a falsetto belt unheard before. The lyrics also show maturity, with Rankin exploring the usual topics of heartbreak and Bildungsroman ache, but also exploring humor and funny characters, as proved by the song “Very Online Guy.”

Alvvays’s new album displays all of the bands’ best traits, while also extending and perfecting their production, lyrics, and songwriting. “Blue Rev,” showcases Alvvays as a pioneer of power pop and shoegaze revival through and through. Each song is perfect music festival material, but at the same time the confessional and relatable lyrics make the songs intimate. Alvvays makes the contradictory work: rock yet pop, large yet intimate, sad yet sweet. “Blue Rev” proves that Alvvays is at the forefront of what music can and should be.