CHVRCHES' Lauren Mayberry goes solo, brings Phoenix her new groove

With an album title like "Vicious Creature," you might think Lauren Mayberry is working some stuff out. Rather, the CHVRCHES frontwoman is interested in further a career-long experiment in crafting novel pop. After the band cemented itself with 2013's multifaceted "Mother We Share" (from "The Bones of What You Believe"), CHVRCHES then embraced dance-floor pop with 2008's "Get Out." From there, they offered up the charged but ethereal ballad "God’s Plan" (off 2018's "Love Is Dead.")

Since going out on her own last year, Mayberry hasn’t embraced or abandoned a specific musical aesthetic, but she has clearly softened the narratives a little bit. The album standout, "Crocodile Tears," is absolutely a mid-tempo, disco-infused banger that rings extra loud in her compelling discography. However, it doesn’t go as deep lyrically as some of her other songs, and there's a very good reason. She admits that while CHVRCHES’ music is a bit darker, and that it felt good to try another approach, she is adamant mainstream pop isn’t always surface-level storytelling. There she goes, changing the game once again.

Whatever you make of "Vicious Creature," Mayberry is clearly doing something interesting musically. So, ahead of her Feb. 28 show at Crescent Ballroom, we spoke briefly with Mayberry about the overarching process behind the LP. She talks about the surge in successful female musicians, the way she consider and frames the album's "story" and how writing a song can be a personal thing even as it takes on a post-release life of its own.
Phoenix New Times: Hi, Lauren. What do think of the progression of women in pop? The '80s were a great decade for women in music, and that seemed to fade until the early 2000s. Do you agree? If so, why do you think that is?

Lauren Mayberry: It's hard for me to say because I wasn't present in the industry for any of that time period. I have been lucky enough to spend some time with women who were successful in entertainment in the '80s, and I am not sure they would necessarily agree with you that it was a time period that was necessarily kind to women. Obviously there was some amazing art being made despite it all, and I think it's always been like that. There is always incredible music being made, and for me it's more about how — and how widely — that is marketed, and that comes in waves. When I think about women who have inspired me, they come from all different decades: Grace Jones, Annie Lennox, Sinead O'Connor, Tori Amos, PJ Harvey, Fiona Apple and Kathleen Hannah.

Who are the young female artists that you admire most today?

I think there is so much exciting music being made, all of it so different. Chappell Roan, Rachel Chinouriri, Self Esteem, Oklou, Jasmine.4.T and Lola Young.

As you lean into your solo pop era with “Vicious Creature,” do you prefer that kind of driving energy as opposed to the ethereal spirit of “Are You Wake”? Are you afraid that driving pop beats will minimize the stories you’re trying to vocalize in songs like “Crocodile Tears” or “Shame”?

I don't see it as an either/or situation, really. I come from a band that is primarily more upbeat [and] driven music — albeit with a darkness underneath a lot of it — so it's always fun to write in that vein. But it was refreshing to try more stripped-back approaches to the production as well. I have never subscribed to the idea that pop music can't have substance or be telling different kinds of stories lyrically. If anything, it's fun to do that against a more traditionally "pop" backdrop. Trojan horse in some lyrical ideas people might not expect in that context.

“Oh, Mother,” from the record, seems like a personal journey. Are there some amends being made in that song?

It's not a song about amends, for me at least — more about taking something very personal and tracing that timeline, how you felt about it at different times of your life. I guess that's what's interesting about songs being released and going out into the world. What it means to you when you write it will always be slightly different to how each listener experiences it and what they think it means, and I am fine with that. The song is completely yours when you write it, and then its meaning and identity changes once it belongs to other people, too.
Have you ever written a song that is not based solely on personal experiences? Have you ever told someone else’s story?

I have written songs for other people, or songs for specific projects where you are telling the story of a character from a film, TV show or video game in the lyrics instead of your own narrative.

I think, for me, it's always about finding the relatable emotion in that and then connecting yourself to it, even if it is fictional. I have noticed there is a tendency for people to assume female artists are writing completely autobiographically, in a way I don't think is as common as assumption with our male peers. There are definitely a lot of personal things on this record, but it was fun to write something like 'Anywhere But Dancing,' which is more folk-country in the storytelling and not about me personally.

The current American political climate is unbalanced. Can the arts save everyone’s sanity?

I think finding moments of solace and relief can help. There are a lot of scary things happening , and any way of feeling less isolated and alone in that is surely positive.

You will be performing at the historic Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix on February 28. What do you like about singing in smaller venues? Or do you prefer larger ones?

It's been nice to come back through some of the venues CHVRCHES played earlier in our career and just be more present in that experience. So much of what happened early on with the band was really a whirlwind, and it's hard to remember a lot of that time period accurately. I think, as a performer, you learn from every show you do, and it's all about adapting your storytelling to fit the rooms and to help communicate with people. Variety is the spice of life.

What can we expect from Lauren Mayberry in the future?

I am looking forward to writing more music — solo and with CHVRCHES. And to playing in Phoenix!

Lauren Mayberry plays Crescent Ballroom (308 N. 2nd Ave.) on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. Cult Of Venus will open the show. Tickets range from $30 to $120; grab yours now via crescentphx.com.