After wrapping up their UK tour in support of their 2013 breakout The Bones of What You Believe in December, Glasgow synth pop group Chvrches announced that their second album was on its way. Now synth player Martin Doherty has revealed to NME some details on what the band is going for on the follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut.
"I think we'll use fewer instruments but ultimately try and do more with them," Doherty told NME. "When you listen to a Michael Jackson song or a Prince song, you realize there's absolutely nothing in it but an amazing bassline, drums and singing. We want to channel some of that."
As for where they'll be recording the project, Doherty says they'll do it in "a sh*tty basement project studio" in south Glasgow.
"We were never going to be the band that sold a few records and went to LA to spend all our money. We like taking the same depressing train to the same depressing part of town and locking ourselves away."
Lead singer Lauren Mayberry detailed the inspiration behind the lyrics on the upcoming tracks. Like many artists, she says she draws from, "personal experience, or at least a personal perspective on external events."
Keyboardist Iain Cook told Classic Pop (via NME) in October 2014 that it might take up to two years to complete the upcoming album.
"You often see bands with a successful debut who get cocky, so they hash out something substandard and nobody gives a sh*t again. So we're not overconfident, but pressure can work against you, too. We're not going to put out anything we aren't happy with. That could take four months, it could take two years."
He also added that they'll produce the album themselves once more.
"Eventually, we'll want to get other producers, but we'll do the next album ourselves again. We'd drive a producer crazy, as we're control freaks who've got the skills to do it ourselves. We don't see the point."
The Bones of What You Believe was released in September of 2013 following their Recover EP. The album was well received and landed on many best of 2013 lists that year. The band was ranked fifth on the BBC's Sound of 2013 list of promising new talent and was also part VH1's You Oughta Know class of 2014. The band supported the record with more than 365 shows in two years. They also contributed the song "Dead Air" to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I.
