Music, Sounds

Alvvays, Blue Rev: REVIEW

by Dave MacIntyre

“For a band already quite adept at making soaring, shoegazey indie anthems, Blue Rev is the sound of Alvvays sharpening that sword while also challenging themselves in ways that keep intact everything that made them so brilliant to begin with.”

Alvvays, Blue Rev (Polyvinyl)

If you’re an Alvvays fan, you probably already know that music is literally in Molly Rankin’s blood. The daughter of a member of the Rankin Family (aka the pride of Mabou, NS), she’s clearly developed a taste for earnest lyricism and classic pop melodies that would make the Beach Boys smile. Ever since Alvvays’ self-titled 2014 debut, this has been on full display as the Toronto five-piece have established themselves as one of this country’s most exciting bands. While 14 tracks might seem like a recipe for an overstuffed album at first glance, they leave little to waste over the course of their third LP, Blue Rev.

Opener and lead single “Pharmacist” is a short-but-sweet, reverb-soaked steamroller of a track, and already among the band’s catchier tunes to date. Their trademark dreamy, ethereal take on jangle pop and indie pop is expanded upon and taken to newer, even more lush-sounding places. ’80s synths and Springsteen-size hooks are all over “Velveteen.” “After the Earthquake” and “Pressed” are driven by some big Johnny Marr energy in the guitar strumming. We even hear Rankin flex her higher register like never before on songs like “Lottery Noises” and “Tile by Tile.” In what’s possibly an intentional nod to their past, “Easy On Your Own?” even apes a chunk of its structure from “In Undertow,” the lead track from the previous album Antisocialites.

For a band that was already quite adept at making soaring, shoegazey indie anthems, Blue Rev is the sound of Alvvays sharpening that sword while also challenging themselves in ways that keep intact everything that made them so brilliant to begin with. 9/10 Trial Track: “Pharmacist”

This review was originally published in the October issue of Cult MTL.

For more on Alvvays, please visit the band’s website.

For more Montreal music coverage, please visit the Music section.

Posted in Music, Sounds

by Dave MacIntyre

Contributing editor for Music
Dave MacIntyre is a Montreal-based freelance journalist. His primary topic of interest is music, but is equally comfortable writing about sports, current events, and Montreal-related initiatives. Outside of Cult MTL, his bylines can be found in publications like BeatRoute and Northern Transmissions. And no, he is not related to Reba, nor to the WWE wrestler Drew, nor to Joey from New Kids on the Block.