Seemingly from nowhere Rise Records' PVRIS have come crashing onto just about everyone's radar with their synth rock perfection. The trio teeming up with Blake Harnage was a damn good move on their part as he's king of the otherworldly synth sound that they've honed in on for their impressive debut and I for one cannot stop listening/talking/tweeting/blogging about it.
From the get go 'Smoke' shows off layer upon layer of instruments and well placed electronics with Lynn Gunn's unbelievably stunning vocals smoothly working their way around the music with her ethereal lyrics adding to the eerie atmosphere. The heavenly combination works throughout the ten track album where no two songs sound the same but where they all have an impact and part to play in maintaining the magic created. 'St. Patrick' is one of the most upbeat tracks which is so infectious it'll take a lot of Taylor Swift to erase it from your brain. Lynn sings "you're a glimpse of bliss, a little taste of heaven" and honestly that is how I feel about PVRIS right now... and most likely for a long time. The bridge crashes, exposing fragility, "I need a miracle to bring me back to you, I know you're gone now but I still wait for you," but when the synth line kicks back in with added vigour jumping around the room is vital.
This is a band who have not held back in giving their all, clearly determined to leave you pining for White Noise in the rare moments you'll listen to something else. The determination is particularly present on 'My House' where every drum beat, strum of the guitars and every word packs an almighty punch. One of my initial favourites was 'Holy' with its laid back vibes and cutting lyrics with an addicting vocal pattern. It's much more subtle musically than most of the other tracks and you have to listen carefully to hear the different elements, but should you take one away it just wouldn't sound half as brilliant. Four tracks in and if you haven't learnt never to mess with Lynn yet then you're a fool - she holds no bars.
Title track 'White Noise' sounds like what the lyrics describes, "all that comes out is white noise and incomprehensible sounds." The synths are fuzzy and distorted, all so loud its hard to pick out particular lines, the vocals sound as though they're coming from behind a wall quite the opposite to 'Fire' where the picture PVRIS paints is quite clear. Opening with a quiet shake and pulse Lynn speaks her nastiest lyrics with precision before bandmates Alex Babinski and Brian MacDonald join her in the assault with heavy guitaring. Jesse Lacey will likely forever be god of lyrics but Lynn is almost as genius with a hard, unforgiving edge:
"You were a walking talking corpse at best,
and I swear I couldn't wait to get you off my chest.
And when you asked us why we couldn't look you in your eyes
It's hard to find life in something that's already died."
Ouch. Without her delivery they hurt but when you factor in her snarl its downright terrifying. Heart wrenching 'Eyelids' depicts the loneliness and distance with faraway synths and runaway guitars. The piano twinkles, dreamlike, adding to the ironic lullaby sound. Another instant favourite, 'Mirrors' has an absolutely addictive pulsing synth leading the song - another example of where Blake's hands have made a brilliant song incredible by truly understanding the vision here and layering the sounds expertly. Second to last track, 'Ghosts', is equal amounts enchanting and tragic. Intricate guitars and drums open the song with a light brush of keyboards. It sounds hopeful and hopeless all at once. Lynn's vocals and lyrics confirm the heart breaking nature of this beautiful sounding song which explodes on the chorus with Lynn wailing "Why can't you stay?" It's also on this song that Sierra's (Would totally be down for a Versa/PVRIS formation to create one killer band) backing vocals are most present adding to the melancholic beauty. Closing out the album is killer 'Let Them In'. Straight from space synths and a kick drum building, raring to go you know this song is going places. And it sure does. 'Let Them In' ends the emotional journey of White Noise with a sonic blast. The chorus ignites, no one here is holding back. Lynn sings "You can't be tamed for me" and so PVRIS do not tame themselves in the slightest with Lynn roaring the last lines "I let you win, I let you in."
Gathering my thoughts about this album is difficult. It's everything I want in an album and so much more than I think anyone could ever have expected from a debut. There is so much talent evident its overwhelming, thinking about the fact these guys are the same age as me and they've only been together for two years makes me feel remarkably insignificant and infinitely proud. The chemistry between not just the three of them but between them and Blake made this one hell of an album that is not only one of my favourite debuts of all time but currently one of my favourite albums ever. Cliche as it might be to describe an album as haunting but White Noise really is. The synths don't leave your mind, you half expect the guitar riffs to jump out from a closet and yell boo and as for Lynn her vocals and lyrics are mesmerising. A world without PVRIS would be a world missing out.
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