Her debut solo album covers a lot of ground – in the best and most personal of ways.
Lauren Mayberry is best known as the lead singer of CHVRCHES, the Scottish electro-pop/synth-rock band with hits like “Here With Me” and “Leave a Trace.” The frontwoman has been getting creative outside of the band, though, with her first solo LP now out in the world. Titled Vicious Creature, the album has Mayberry diving into the depths of her own experiences – especially on “Crocodile Tears,” the first single off that has her crooning and confessing of the ups-and-downs of a relationship. “Crocodile tears running down your face / Oh, what a man will say just to get his way/Always crying wolf so I’m sad to say / That I don’t really want to hear it / I don’t really want to hear it from you, babe.”
The exuberant single, like much of the album, lives in a nostalgic pop sphere. It has an exciting, yet tender, and overall upbeat tempo that will make you want to dance – something that we were blown away here at The Aquarian. Fans, like us, are thrilled that Mayberry found the time after the last CHVRCHES album to put together this surprising and refreshing solo effort that is lyrically bold and vocally dynamic.
Songwriting can take on a life of its own, which is something we unpacked upon sitting down with Mayberry, who is both the new alternative pop songstress on the scene and still the lead singer of CHVRCHES. We also discussed this solo trek of hers and how well-received it has been.
Lauren, you now have your new solo LP, Vicious Creature, under your belt. It’s such a burst of energy compared to your work with CHVRCHES. Was that intentional going into this project?
I knew I wanted it to be a different kind of energy. I wanted some things to be more direct in terms of the melodies, and in terms of the stories and storytelling. My only goal was not to make a crap CHVRCHES album. I think that people think when you do a solo project that you are really pissed off at the band, or that it’s to spite what you’ve done previously. We all have respect for CHVRCHES and what we’ve been able to do with it and what we hopefully will be able get to do with it. It lives separately from other things we do. I wanted to try different things.
Why name the album Vicious Creature, and who/what is the first single, “Crocodile Tears,” about?
Vicious Creature is from a line in one of the songs called “A Work Of Fiction,” which is off the second half of the album. The lyric says, “Nostalgia is such a vicious creature,” and I like the duality of that. There are a lot of songs that dwell on past experiences, or songs on the past that is not necessarily helpful, and I do feel like this record is like a line in the sand of my life and how I approached it.
I really do like the title Vicious Creature because my life and career has felt like a certain kind of person that wasn’t very representative. That’s the fun part of my songwriting – maybe it is a piece of fiction. When you are writing a song, you think what the song is about, but when the song comes out, the ownership of it changes. When I am playing a show, I’m not in that feeling or memory what I am playing. When people are listening to a song and it makes them think of somebody, I think that’s pretty cool.
I think that is the era we live in now with songwriting. For example, Taylor Swift is mum about who she writes about, but when she releases it to the world it takes on a very different meaning.
When I hear Taylor Swift wrote about this person or that person, she basically just wrote about her experiences, and that is what songwriting is all about.
The production within Vicious Creature also has an eighties vibe to it.
Yeah, I think a lot of my favorite pop music comes from the eighties and nineties. A lot of the CHVRCHES music takes from a very specific part of the eighties and I didn’t want to do that necessarily, but, for example, with “Crocodile Tears,” I feel like it’s from the era, but uses it quite differently. I like the idea of things of being dramatic and theatrical compared where CHVRCHES went with things.
How do you rally the crowd as a solo artist when on stage?
The band is a three piece for this coming tour. I think it’s refreshing and exciting way to play live shows, because when you are a part of a band with a catalog that people know, you feel lucky. I was already conscious of CHVRCHES shows feeling like an event, whether it be the costumes or production. There [are] a couple of singles people know off the solo album, but I think these headlines shows will be different because people will have the album now.
I have been really blown away by how generous the audience reaction has been, whether it be existing CHVRCHES fans or people who didn’t really connect to CHVRCHES. It’s rare to be open to things like that. I always loved the idea of the live show having storytelling and escapism in it. If you’ve got 90 minutes, I think it’s my job to make it as fun and theatrical and escapist as I can (with the constraints that I have).
How else has your solo material been received thus far, especially in your hometown of Thornhill?
I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I did some in stores and signings when the record came out. Everybody was very generous about it.
What inspired this solo project to begin with? Also, what is the status of CHVRCHES?
I guess it felt like a natural ending of one chapter. CHVRCHES was signed for four records, so we delivered four records and then finished the touring cycle. We resigned the band, but wanted to take a break and see what we wanted to do next. It felt creative to learn stuff. We have been so lucky with CHVRCHES, but if you’ve been writing for one way for so many years, there are experiences and creative lessons that you could do with learning. I think it was a very creative and positive thing. Then, when we reconvene, we will be bringing new ideas to the table. I can’t see it being a negative thing.
The album cover reminds me of The Statue of Liberty.
It was nice to work with more women with the visuals behind the scenes and the album cover and planning. So, what does the creature look like? Silver Statue of Liberty? Demonic me?
Speaking of New York landmarks, we cannot wait for your Webster Hall performance.
What an honor. It blows me away that I get to do that. I’m very excited; it’s such a special venue.
TICKETS & INFO ON LAUREN’S SOLO SHOWS – INCLUDING NYC & PHILLY THIS WEEK – CAN BE FOUND HERE! VICIOUS CREATURE IS OUT NOW!
