In Hear This, A.V. Club writers sing the praises of songs they know well—some inspired by a weekly theme and some not, but always songs worth hearing.
I heard “The Mother We Share” by CHVRCHES at some point in 2012 and liked it, but as I was driving around over Christmas break and heard it a couple of times on SiriusXM U, it sent me on a full-fledged jag. Unfortunately, the Scottish electro-pop trio only has a pair of singles to its name, so my obsession more or less entailed listening to this song on repeat.
I’m not the only one who’s smitten. Jenny Eliscu sang the band’s praises before playing the song on XMU, and the BBC featured it in its Sound Of 2013, calling “The Mother We Share” “undeniably sad but also euphoric… a captivating calling card that sets them apart in 2013.” (The network’s description of CHVRCHES as a sort of cross between Robyn and The Knife is also pretty apt.)
“Sad but euphoric” perfectly describes “The Mother We Share,” an enchanting piece of electro-pop that glides on waves of synths and Lauren Mayberry’s sweet vocals, which still have a hint of her charming brogue. The band’s pretty charming in interviews, too. Multi-instrumentalist Martin Doherty (formerly of The Twilight Sad) explained the group’s moniker to the BBC this way: “It’s one word, and it’s easy to pronounce to Americans—in my mind, that was the most important thing about picking a band name. Having been there on tour before, when you try to tell them the band you’re in, by the third time you try to respond and they still don’t understand, you realize that maybe it’s not the right band name.” His bandmate Iain Cook added it was also important to choose a name that wouldn’t make them cringe to tell their moms. (They changed the U to a V because “Churches” was “more or less impossible to Google.”)
A full-length debut is due later this year. I’m psyched.