Alvvays – Blue Rev

Genre: Indie Pop, Jangle Pop, Dream Pop, Shoegaze

Recommended for: Fans of Beach House, The Smiths, Snail Mail, Japanese Breakfast

Alvvays (pronounced “always”) is a favorite band of mine. Their songs remind me of summer, with a very warm and upbeat sound and bright vocals. Both of their previous projects are amazing, with their self-titled album placing in my top 20 albums of all time. After a 5 year drought with no new music, Blue Rev was first teased in July. After excitedly waiting three months for the release, I can safely say it was not a disappointment.

Alvvays’ third album is a consistently good album from front to back. Containing my favorite instrumental work by the band, the upbeat melodies work to make Blue Rev an extremely catchy album. The album opens up with “Pharmacist,” originally released as a single that announced the band’s return. The track’s fun guitars and interesting lyrics set the tone for the album. Although some tracks are noisier than others, you can roughly guess what your opinion of the album will be from the first track. For those who do not like the reverberating guitars as much, “Bored in Bristol” is the track that I would recommend. The lush vocals and even summerier (is that a word?) guitars make it stand out from the rest.

There are only a few qualities that I dislike about this album, with one of these qualms being the vocals. Molly Rankin is one of my favorite singers of the last decade, with blissful vocals that contribute to the warm feel of Alvvays’ music. But on Blue Rev, her vocals deviate somewhat from those of the previous two projects. I see how it attempts to mesh with the band’s newer sound, yet I still find some of the vocals to seem out of place. They are not too out of place as to make the vocals a net negative, but there were a couple songs with great instrumentals that I felt were ruined by the vocals, such as “After The Earthquake.”

But, what Blue Rev occasionally lacks in vocals is balanced out by the album’s lyricism. I’ve always (no pun intended) been a fan of the band’s lyricism, and this album does not miss the mark. The short, simple lines fit in with the band’s carefree sound, but they still manage to tell cohesive stories. These stories may not be the complex masterpieces of Joanna Newsom, but help in building the atmosphere.

Without a dull moment, Blue Rev has the potential to push the band into the mainstream. Some may argue that this is due to the album being “inoffensive” and not pushing any boundaries, but I see it as a very well-executed pop album. I can easily see it finishing in my top five albums of 2022.

Favorite Songs: Bored in Bristol, Pharmacist, Easy On Your Own?

Least Favorite Songs: Pomeranian Spinster, After The Earthquake

Rating: 8/10