Alvvays’ New Album Is A Dazed Dream

Los Angeles – What a debut! Alvvays’ self-titled record is a 9-track, lo-fi haze that is perfect for a joyride down the coastline. The strong and sentimental indie-pop has fanciful guitar breakdowns and vocals from lead singer Molly Rankin that are so fluffy they’re almost too good to be true. The Canadian five-piece has completed a work of art as contagious as other top-grade retro poppy albums, all while avoiding hiding behind hooks and light lyrics. Instead, Alvvays addresses heartache and desire with honesty underneath their candy-coated good vibes.

It is difficult to explain Alvvays without hinting at a sense of California cool; ironic since the band has Toronto origins. Their disposition is hot and fuzzy, like the ocean’s horizon – think wistful like Cults and Best Coast – but with a temperature turned up so that an extra layer of sunscreen and a wide-brim hat are needed to shield from life and love’s blistering reality.

Such a perfect coexistence between mild and harsh could be thanks to the almost equal mixture of two women and three men in the band. Or, it might be due to the merging of all the different volumes of heartbreak they’ve endured. Regardless of the key to what makes it special, so scarcely does a voice with Rankin’s softness work so playfully and harmoniously with jangly instrumental contributions. The album’s opening track “Archie, Marry Me” is a declaration of a love that is sweet, tempting and heavy like syrup. Rankin could thaw the coldest heart as she sings, “So honey take me by the hand and we can sign some papers/Forget the invitations, floral arrangements and bread makers.” The lyrics are simple. Intentional. Marvelous.

The next high point is “Party Police,” which incorporates blazing rhythms that slowly and steadily burn. Rankin croons for her lover to “just stay here,” while the rest of Alvvays cradles her with a tender touch. “The Agency Group” goes more grating than the rest, as melodies combine with an added jangle before Rankin’s balladry is delivered with a distressed glisten of sweat.

Just when it feels safe to assume that this album will continue to slope downward until the very last note, “Atop A Cake” picks up the pace to carol about the freedom in getting lost. The percussion ricochets and the riffs gleam with hope before a last, dimmer survey of a “delusional” relationship is delivered on the nuanced album closer “Red Planet.” The band might be left waiting for true love in the end, but they have in the meantime discovered a superb voice.

Though Alvvays is in the company of a pile of artists with a similar sound, each song on this collection has a distinct high quality and fine finish. It is a summery series that is wise beyond a premiere. The album is certainly a throwback, but its melodies spin in ways that have never reeled before. Among this season’s new music, it will be challenging to find a narrative better presented.

For more information about Alvvays, visit their website HERE

About
Latest Posts

Ariela Kozin

Ariela was born and raised on Los Angeles' creative hunger and booming sounds. She grew up humming the Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan records her mother played on repeat until a driver's license gave her the freedom to obsessively explore the live music scene. It only seemed natural that when Ariela went to journalism school, she paired her love of writing with her passion for discovering amazing new music.