"Blue Rev" by Alvvays

Nostalgia for the Past, Excitement for the Future: Alvvays’ Blue Rev is Anti-Pop for a New Generation

At the 2017 FYF music festival, I had the pleasure of seeing the Canadian indie band Alvvays live. I also had the misfortune of being an inattentive witness, more keen on photo ops for lead singer Molly Rankin’s lavender American Apparel skirt than her girlish wailing and songwriting capability. The band has a primarily consistent and enjoyable discography; their self-titled debut album produced some of their most revered tracks, from the teenage fantasy love ballad “Archie, Marry Me” to the humorously creepy and equally as jangly “Adult Diversion.” Their sophomore album, Antisocialites produced one of their biggest hits, “Dreams Tonite,” another standard dreamy ballad with considerably more lush production. The band’s 2022 project, Blue Rev, brings these attributes to a new level of sophistication and brilliance much akin to the anti-Pop cultural reset to earlier indie groups such as The Smiths.

Rankin holds her own as frontwomen, an element and instrument of their own music; I couldn’t imagine Blue Rev without Rankin’s witty lyricism and soaring vocals –– she rumbles and moans with a cleanly-produced composure, youthful vigor, and earnest energy in her voice. At times she borders on bratty, with tracks like “Pomeranian Spinster,” whining the refrain “I don’t wanna be nice / I don’t wanna be nice / I don’t want your advice!” The clarity and ease of her vocals work nicely with this alteration, making even a whine sustainably sweet and smooth. 

Before I continue to sing the praises of this album, I must point out my biases and strongly held predispositions with the presence of my nostalgia goggles and penchant for comparison. I’ve found myself growing up with Alvvays, from eighth grade wearing solely primary colors and brooding to “Ones Who Love You,” to sophomore year hanging out in the Malibu mountains to “Not My Baby” with people I was far too old to be hanging out with, listening to and sympathizing with experiences I was far too young to relate to. And finally today: banging my head to the topical (as well as ironic, seeing as I am very much in college) lyrics of “Easy On Your Own:” “I dropped out / college education’s a dull knife / if you don’t believe in the / lettered life / then maybe this is our only try.” 

These words struck me as deeply as I had heard my dad speak of The Smiths’ musical legacy: “The goth kids were obsessed with The Smiths. They thought it was mopey music. But it was hysterical: ‘and if you should die, I may feel slightly sad, but I won’t cry…’ Oscar Wilde in a Pompadour!” he exclaimed. I believe Alvvays to contain a similar duality for its fan base, providing equal opportunity for wallowing and a witty celebration and mockery of the confines of adolescence.

The fifth track on Blue Rev, “Pressed,” highlights the sardonic lyricism common in Rankin’s songs: “Benevolent collegiate rolled his eyes and walked away / and if you could believe it / his stride is lengthened by his sense of wonder.” Rankin is not shy to express  disdain for academic pretension thinly veiled by admiration, much like the rightfully controversial Morrisey’s commentary on his elite English education, heard on “The Headmaster Ritual '' from the 1985 record  Meat is Murder. Although this comparison arises from childhood preliminaries, it is always worth mentioning ways in which the present  can mirror the past –– that explosion of energy in the name of resistance, a cultural touchstone for “anti-Pop” kids of a newer generation. The seventh track, “Very Online Guy” is especially poignant in terms of modern commentary. The production is glitchy, reverberating, and seemingly influenced by the Vaporwave movement of the early 2010s. 

Just as much as Rankin is capable of cynical intellectuality in her lyrics, she is willing to reveal her longing for simplicity and domesticity, as on “Belinda Says:” “Moving to the country / Gonna have this baby / Wait tables in town / I know word gets around” Their live performances following the release of Blue Rev have also been breathtaking; selected tracks performed on KEXP FM’s live performance YouTube series are sharp, synchronized, and include additional harmonies from drummer Sheridan Riley and keyboardist Kerri Maclellan.

Blue Rev proves itself to be an enthralling addition to today’s dreampop scene, with Molly Rankin at the centerfold –– an Oscar Wilde with blonde bangs.

-Carol Newhart