AOTW: Alvvays – “Blue Rev”

November 7th, 2022 by Liz Kosik

by Ameila Dunat ’25

Alvvays – “Blue Rev”

Released: October 7, 2022

Rating: 7 / 10

This Toronto band’s third album has been in the works since their 2017 album Antisocialites and it was definitely worth the wait. Alvvays is an Indie Pop band from Canada formed in 2011. After a 5-year hiatus, they’ve released Blue Rev, a shoegaze collection of 14 tracks, all with bittersweet lyrics and psychedelic sounds. My favorite tracks from this album were “Easy on Your Own”, “Tile by Tile”, and “After the Earthquake”. “After the Earthquake” was my favorite out of all of them because of its upbeat melody. “Easy on your Own” and “Tile by Tile” both feature whimsical vocals and sophisticated melodies making them sound just like the previous albums. Listening to this album made it seem as if no time had passed since I last heard the sounds of Alvvays many years ago!

This wasn’t my favorite Alvvays album, but it was nice to hear them after such a long time and see how they’ve developed since, and overall was pleasant to listen to. I recommend this album to anyone who enjoys Japanese Breakfast, Deerhunter, Melody’s Echo Chamber, My Bloody Valentine and Snail Mail. I also recommend checking out the band’s more popular songs like “Dreams Tonite”, “Not My Baby”, and “Archie, Marry Me” from their previous albums!