Alvvays - Blue Rev

PolyVinyl

The third studio album from Canadian indie outfit Alvvays revels in an abundance of blistering heat somewhere between serene and all-encompassing. A touch of the divine, along with a fist of the frying pan, reaches to the yearning soul of those lost in the sea of forever-searching. A beautiful blend of shoegaze and dream pop wrapped in a noisy veil of swift musicianship - the seas look smooth, but blustery enough to put doubt in the mind of the finest of navigators.

Blissful and abrasive textures are abundant on Blue Rev. It's sweet, but more tapped in to the bitter end of bittersweet. The balance is slightly in favour of the snarling grin rather than the savoury smile. Teeth are on show between splayed lips. Short skirts and smiles of deceptive depth. The layers at play here are staggering. Fall into the clouds brick by brick. The hard-edged demeanour that flickers inside is soft as snow. Cuddly. Caress the clouds. Watch out for the razor sharp edges, they catch people off-guard all the time. Paper-cuts from candy floss and bruises from hugs.

Blue Rev bubbles with a fiery palette. Rudimentary rhythms lay dormant beneath a sea of searing and breeze-y aesthetic. Lukewarm winds shred to shore. Your skin takes on a pinkish hue - warm to touch. Hair frizzle-fried. Lips chapped. Throat desert-dry. Noses drip and dry in an instant - crusty top lips come into fashion. Blue Rev is like warm, fuzzy mittens for your ears - a delight as the cold mornings, evenings and nights come closing in, fast.

Jumped-up pace-wise, Blue Rev is of a swift cadence. Little-to-no time is wasted along the course of Blue Rev's runtime. A collective of individuals on the same path and alignment comes through in flying colours - this record is one of the best albums that 2022 has to offer on the quality and consistency front - there are some absolute gems in the mix here. It doesn't miss a beat or bout of extreme heat.

Alvvays longing. Alvvays yearning. Alvvays searching.