Chvrches interview: ‘It’s easy to say male headliners are what sells when that’s all you’re trying to sell’

As their ‘Love is Dead’ tour kicks off in the UK, the Scottish synthpop band speak to Roisin O’Connor about their new EP, diversity in the music industry and hitting back at critics

Chvrches: (from left) Iain Cook, Lauren Mayberry and Martin Doherty (Danny Clinch)

“There isn’t really a precedent for something like Brexit,” says Lauren Mayberry, “but I do feel like it’s motivated by the same fear and disenfranchisement that we’re seeing elsewhere. I’m not sure how you combat that.”

On Chvrches’ latest album, Love is Dead, their frontwoman Mayberry has offered up some of her most searing observations yet on a growing disillusionment among the younger generation. An unusual perspective to find in the UK pop charts, perhaps, but as multi-instrumentalist and producer Iain Cook declares: “The best pop has never been meaningless.”

Meanwhile, the Glaswegian group’s recent EP – called The Hansa Session after the legendary Berlin studio it was recorded in – reinterprets some of the best songs from that album, including “Graffiti” and “Get Out”, in a vastly different way. The emotional intent of each track still remains intact, thanks to skilful new arrangements by Cook, Martin Doherty and their session drummer Jonny Scott.

“The acoustic setup initially came about because we wanted to find a simpler, more adaptable way of doing radio sessions, rather than dragging a pile of synths into breakfast radio shows. We wanted to document these stripped-back versions, because we’d really grown to love what the songs felt like in that iteration,” Mayberry says. “We’re lucky because Chvrches has always been quite tricky for people to categorise – electronic, pop, alternative, indie, mainstream – so we can totally change the instrumentation of a song and it can still live in the Chvrches universe.”

Chvrches’ music may be instantly recognisable, but Doherty says the general top 40 sound is so “tweaked” – same writing groups, same melodies, same production – that the entire thing has become cannibalised. For Mayberry, the similarities extend as far as vocal affectation, in that many pop stars sound completely interchangeable.

“I remember driving around last summer and noticing how many male vocalists sounded like Maroon 5,” she says, “or female vocals that sound like Jess Glynne. They’re amazing singers, but why does everyone else need to sound like that? It takes away a lot of personality and ability to express emotion.“

“To me, we’re one of the last blog bands,” Doherty adds. “When Soundcloud and Hype Machine were at their peak, the first ever music we were making was coming from there. Chvrches was very much an internet band, and all I was listening to was other underground internet acts in 2013. It’s like one of the last scenes, with us, Haim and a few others. The 1975, they’re like a genre now.”

Chvrches first appeared via the mysterious Fader post announcing their debut track, “The Mother We Share”, without revealing any information about who they were. Since then, Mayberry has asserted herself as an artist with little time for music industry nonsense, whether it’s sexism and online trolling, or a lack of gender parity on festival lineups.

She has spoken in the past about enjoying the fact that her vocals, frequently referred to as “sweet”, contrast against the darker messages in her lyrics – her willingness to call out social and political injustices. This seems to cause upset for certain older male critics. After the release of Love is Dead, Mayberry took issue with one particular review, by controversial columnist Rod Liddle, which took aim at Mayberry’s political views rather than the actual music. Mayberry, who completed an MA in journalism herself and once interned with The Independent, scoffs that she too remembers how it “makes you sound really smart to use 10 words instead of two”.

“I feel we’re lucky at this point not to be in a position where a bad review from a publication can crush the band,” she says. “What bothers me most about that kind of reviewing style is, well, this isn’t a review, this is an opinion piece. That’s fine, but don’t pretend that you’re reviewing our album when you’re basically deconstructing what you think you know about someone’s character.

“For somebody in that position, those problems aren’t a reality. That’s what annoyed me about it. You can slag me off until the sun goes down, but don’t belittle everything you think I stand for, because you’ve never actually had to deal with any of those problems.

“I’d rather be partaking in what’s going on than critiquing it and not helping,” she continues. “I think we’re in a world that’s kind of overrun by snark in the press. [Music journalists] often assume that bands are going to respect them because they’re in the media, they’re in the driving seat, but I feel you should conduct yourselves in a manner that deserves respect.”

‘We’re lucky at this point not to be in a position where a bad review can crush the band,’ says Mayberry (Danny Clinch)

Chvrches were recently announced on the Reading and Leeds lineup. Typically, they’re one of the few female-fronted acts on the billing, while one of the headliners (Foo Fighters) are back for the fourth time in 15 years. Elsewhere, UK festivals slowly seem to be taking more headline risks with younger or emerging artists (Stormzy at Glastonbury, Wolf Alice at Standon Calling, etc), while European festivals such as Primavera are dedicated to achieving a 50 per cent split between male and female acts. Does Mayberry believe diversity on the festival scene is improving?

“I think it works on a case by case basis, and depends on the mentality of the particular booker or promoter,” she says, explaining that she follows an Instagram called “Book More Women” and finds herself “constantly depressed” by the lack of representation for gender, sexual orientation and race.

“The fact that the conversation is being had on a more mainstream platform is great,” she says. “When this band started, those conversations were much more likely just to induce an eye roll, and nothing would really be done. It was easier to dismiss people and just maintain the status quo, but now I think there is a lean towards slightly more accountability, so we’ll see where that goes.

“I don’t know if anything will change definitively during the lifespan of my career, but I think it’s important that people realise it’s a top-down, bottom-up issue. Big festival promoters can say there aren’t enough female acts or profile for them to book, because those artists aren’t getting a look-in at a grass-roots level; aren’t offered the same platforms as some male artists; aren’t promoted in the same way. It’s easy to tell people ‘this is what sells’ if that’s all you’re ever trying to sell them.”

Lauren Mayberry performing at NOS Alive festival (Hugo Macedo)

Chvrches’ own headline tour includes a return to Alexandra Palace in London, which is often counted something of a milestone in any artist’s career. For this band, it will be the second time they’ve performed on that stage – but still a special moment.

“It’s pretty wild that this will be the second headline show we’ve played there,” Mayberry says. “I always kind of feel we’re the underdogs because, on paper, our band wasn’t very likely to make it. We didn’t have ‘connections’, we were older than your average pop act, we were pretty much off the industry grid. So whenever we get to do shows like this, I feel like it’s a win for the underdog. We’re lucky that people have supported and believed in the band enough to allow us to do that.”

The Hansa Session EP is out now. Chvrches tour the UK from 7-19 February