Continuing the group’s shift towards the mainstream, the new track is a fun and carefree exercise in earworm pop. Propelled by layers of synth and keyboard riffing and Kom_I’s strong singing, the song is almost reminscent of 80s’ video game and anime music. The track’s well-executed fusion of Japanese- and English-language vocals adds a layer of intrigue and experimentation, harking back to previous efforts like The Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots from 2002. In the words of Kom_I, the mixture is “Kawasaki meets Glasgow, Kiyoshiro Imawano meets David Bowie, and Edamame meets Fish & Chips.”

CHVRCHES’ Lauren Mayberry said that “Japan has always been a really special place for CHVRCHES. And we were really excited to put together something special for our fans there.”  Clarifying the group’s choice of collaborator, Mayberry said “Kom_I has such a strong, individual voice in her music and how she conducts herself as a person — something that I really admire — and we were so lucky that she wanted to collaborate on this track.”

Backed by Mayberry’s encouragement, Kom_I’s intense, emotional delivery is “a pep talk to myself who is being left half done.”  Having recently reached 25, the Wednesday Campanella vocalist “realised that [she] personally [has] little chance to feel the tears welling up”. “Even though I have obtained freedom”, she said, “the world is not yet changed and we can never have completely assured lives in this era.”

The track is CHVRCHES’ latest release since their third studio album, Love Is Dead, which hit the top 10 in charts across the world in May. They are currently on tour in support of the album, with a spate of UK dates confirmed for next year. Check out the itinerary below and get tickets here. Meanwhile, Wednesday Campanella released their Galapagos EP in late June.

02/07/2019 – Alexandra Palace – London
02/09 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
02/12 – O2 Academy – Bournemouth
02/14 – Victoria Warehouse – Manchester
02/16 – SSE Hydro – Glasgow
02/18 – O2 Academy – Newcastle
02/19 – Ulster Hall – Belfast
02/21 – Olympia – Dublin