The Bones of What You Believe | ||||
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Studio album by Chvrches | ||||
Released | 20 September 2013 | |||
Recorded | 2011–13 | |||
Studio | Alucard Studios (Glasgow, Scotland) |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 48:00 | |||
Label |
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Producer | Chvrches | |||
Chvrches chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Bones of What You Believe | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 80/100 |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
The A.V. Club | A |
Entertainment Weekly | B |
The Guardian | |
The Independent | |
Los Angeles Times | |
NME | 8/10 |
Pitchfork Media | 8.5/10 |
Rolling Stone | |
Spin | 8/10 |
The Bones of What You Believe is the first studio album by Scottish synthpop band Chvrches, released on 20 September 2013 by Virgin Records and Goodbye Records. Recorded between 2011 and 2013 in Glasgow, the album was written, composed, and produced by the band as a collaborative effort. It was made available as both a 12-track standard edition and an 18-track special version, the latter including two extra songs, two remixes and two live videos. The album was debuted with a launch party broadcast live on music streaming platform Boiler Room.
The album's title derives from a lyric in the song "Strong Hand"; according to frontwoman Lauren Mayberry, it refers to the raw "creativity and effort" that served as the figurative and literal skeleton for the album. Musically, The Bones of What You Believe is primarily a synthpop and indie pop album that incorporates "neon-Eighties" influences.
The Bones of What You Believe received critical acclaim, with many complimenting Mayberry's songwriting and vocal performance, and Iain Cook and Martin Doherty's use of synthesisers and vocal loops. The album debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart, selling 12,415 copies in its first week. It also reached the top fifteen in Australia, Ireland and the United States, and the top twenty in Austria and Canada. As of September 2015, the album has sold 120,318 copies in the UK and 184,000 copies in the US.
The album spawned seven singles: "The Mother We Share", "Recover", "Gun", "Lies", "We Sink", "Under the Tide" and "Tether", with the lead single becoming a moderate commercial success, charting in the top ten in Belgium and Japan, as well as the top forty in the United Kingdom. It also peaked at number twelve on the Alternative Songs chart in the United States.