Alvvays Return with New Album 'Blue Rev,' Share New Single 'Pharmacist'

As originally published by Calum Slingerland on Exclaim!

After teasing their return last month, Alvvays have detailed their third studio LP. The Toronto quintet will share new album Blue Rev on October 7 via Polyvinyl.

Named for the alcoholic beverage, Blue Rev follows the band's 2017 album Antisocialites — and, at 14 tracks, marks their longest release to date.

Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Shawn Everett, Blue Rev is said to "thrive on immediacy and intricacy," qualities reflected in its recording process. A release notes how, on the second day in-studio, Alvvays played through the album front-to-back twice, pausing 15 seconds between songs and 30 minutes between full-album takes, leaving Everett to take "obsessive amount of time" shaping the record's sound and feel.

Opener "Pharmacist" is the first taste of the LP to arrive, and you can hear it below alongside a visualizer in which Rankin treats herself to a glass of the electric blue drink before picking up a tambourine. 

Blue Rev also marks the first Alvvays studio effort to feature the new rhythm section of drummer Sheridan Riley — who has toured with the band since 2017 — and bassist Abbey Blackwell. The album is now available for pre-order.

In October and November, Alvvays will take Blue Rev on tour in the United States alongside Chicago-based outfit Slow Pulp. You can find the complete list of dates via the band's official website.

Antisocialites won Alternative Album of the Year honours at the 2018 Juno Awards, and was shortlisted for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize. The album also landed among Exclaim!'s Best Pop and Rock Albums of 2017, taking top spot on the list.



Blue Rev:

1. Pharmacist
2. Easy on Your Own?
3. After the Earthquake
4. Tom Verlaine
5. Pressed
6. Many Mirrors
7. Very Online Guy
8. Velveteen
9. Tile by Tile
10. Pomeranian Spinster
11. Belinda Says
12. Bored in Bristol
13. Lottery Noises
14. Fourth Figure