Alvvays — Blue Rev — Album Review
Alternative | Indie
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
I was in an art class at sixth form college when I first heard music from the Canadian indie band Alvvays. And I think that pretty much sums up just how long I have been enjoying their music. But to be more specific, it was either all the way back in 2014, the year in which Alvvays released their debut self-titled album, or the year after that.
But putting my realisation that I’m starting to get pretty old aside, one thing I do remember clearly was just how much I enjoyed their unique brand of indie. It atmospherically had a very seaside/carnival-esque vibe to it. And given that I hail from the very seaside/carnival-esque UK city of Brighton, that kind of aesthetic fit right in with me.
After enjoying their debut for quite some time, I equally enjoyed their sophomore album upon its release. titled Antisocialites, this album served as a continuation of the amazing aesthetic I previously mentioned. It also helped that this album arrived in 2017, which was one of my favourite years ever, alongside 2019. I did write a review of this album, but that all the way back when I was instead on Blogger (as opposed to Medium).
It was actually earlier on this year when I was wondering when a new Alvvays album would finally drop. I had clearly been itching for a new piece of music from the band for a while. So with that being said, it was a deep sigh of relief to find that Alvvays would be releasing their third studio album, which they have given the name of Blue Rev.
I’m not exactly sure how all five of the teaser tracks for Blue Rev managed to slip under my nose. But either way, it was a nice feeling to know that I would be going into this album completely afresh. I was also both curious and perhaps a little anxious as to how their style would hold up after the five years that span between the band’s previous album and this one.
But if I had any doubts about whether Alvvays would lose their unique spark at all were, they were instantly quashed by the very first track of the album (also the first track to tease the album), titled “Pharmacist”. The sound that this track brought instantly whisked me away to the dreamy days of 2017, where I was hopping on the National Express to cross over the country.
This familiarity is nicely paired with a more fuzz-heavy and loud instrumentation, which results in what feels like a fusion of what they have done before, and a band like Wolf Alice, for instance. In short, this is arguably the most energetic album that Alvvays have put out, whilst compromising none of their musical beauty.
Blue Rev also has a generosity worth the wait, with a total of 14 songs to boast of. Looking back on past albums, I realised that this brand new one houses the most tracks, as well as the longest runtime (although, it’s by a matter of a five minutes or so). Nevertheless, Alvvays managed to keep me captivated with a colourful selection of different moods, that allowed the albu to stand as an appropriate release, regardless of the time of year.
And while I’m still finishing this album review with a pretty fresh perspective regarding how I feel about it, I still have strong feelings towards Blue Rev holding up as one of the band’s finest works to date, in which you can clearly see that their musical quality has shifted for the better. But furthermore, it really sets the bar for indie bands everywhere.
Favourite Tracks: Pharmacist | After The Earthquake | Many Mirrors | Tile By Tile
Least Favourite Track: Lottery Noises
Celsius Girls | Transgressive Records
