Words: Milo Hempel
With Antisocialites, Toronto 5 piece Alvvays have released one of the strongest and sharpest pop records of 2017. Fusing the sounds of indie, jangle, and dream pop, Alvvays burst onto the scene in mid-2014 with their self-titled debut, which was an exciting album full of personality and potential. This new album is a big step up in every way.
The album opts for quality over quantity, with only 10 tracks and clocking in at just over 32 minutes. In that time however, Alvvays are giving us some of the catchiest and most blissful pop songs that I’ve heard all year. Front-woman Molly Rankin is on fire throughout, offering incredibly blissful and catchy melodies that glide through the mix, with performances that stay consistently strong and heavenly throughout. On Lollipop, her vocals on the hook are altered in a way which goes over very well, as her refrain of “You’re a lollipop, in the form of a lightning bolt” is scattered across the mix on top of punchy instrumentation. It sounds great. The song Saved by a Waif combines a heavenly hook with a gorgeous lead guitar line courtesy of Alec O’Hanley, and Dreams Tonite is simply one of the prettiest dream pop songs I’ve heard all year.
Antisocialites boasts of an abundance of gorgeous, catchy, well-crafted pop songs throughout and is without doubt one of the most exciting and enjoyable pop albums you’ll hear this year. Don’t miss out on this one.
Alvvays tickets available here
Website – alvvays.com
Facebook – /ALVVAYS
Twitter – @Alvvaysband
Instagram – @alvvaysband