Quick Facts About CHVRCHES

• Founding member and frontwoman Lauren Mayberry is the youngest member of CHVRCHES at 33 years old. Her two bandmates, Iain and Martin, are 46 and 38, respectively.
• In addition to her artistry, Mayberry is also known for her work as an activist. She often aligns herself with feminist causes, including TYCI, her Glasgow-based publication that focuses on women-empowering content. Lauren has also supported the Ally Coalition, producer Jack Antanoff’s fundraising organization that supports homeless LGBT youth.
• CHVRCHES have been incredibly successful since the beginning of their time as a band. Their breakthrough record, The Bones of What You Believe, was listed on numerous best-of-the-year lists, including from Pitchfork, Stereogum, NME, Consequence of Sound, and Billboard. They got signed to a major label quickly, partnering with Virgin Records for their debut.

The History of the Band

• The inspiration for CHVRCHES’ distinct name was described by Mayberry as a decision the band members made to give the band a name with “a strong vibe that could be interpreted in many different ways.” They chose to add a “V” to replace the “U” in “Churches” to make it easier to find the band on Google – they didn’t want fans searching for their music and instead being directed to the pages of local religious organizations.
• CHVRCHES’ music wasn’t the first collaboration between the band’s members. Iain Cook first started getting interested in synthesizers after a prolonged period of listening to electronic music. Not long after, he produced an album for Lauren Mayberry’s previous band, Blue Sky Archives. Around that time, Iain recruited Mayberry to sing in the electronic music project he was dreaming up.
• They weren’t always planning on going on tour. Martin Doherty has indicated that the band’s original intention was to simply make music together and release it on the internet. However, after the success of “Lies,” their debut single, the band knew they had to play live.

First Show and Beyond

• This Scottish synth-pop group performed an official show for the first time in July of 2012 at Glasgow School of Art, a college in the band’s hometown. Not long after, they started getting attention from A&R reps from various labels. However, Lauren didn’t like the amount of attention that the labels gave her specifically, as opposed to the rest of the band. She didn’t want to cultivate a pop star image for herself. Instead, the band decided to brand themselves more as what they are – a band.
• The decision to go against the labels’ expectations is something the band has been candid about, with Doherty saying, “We could have sold 200,000 more albums if we’d hidden Iain and I from view and put Iain on the cover of every magazine.” Doherty went on to say that the band made sacrifices to emphasize to the press that they were CHVRCHES, not Lauren Mayberry and her two backing musicians.
• In 2013, they released Recover EP, with songs like “The Mother We Share” and the second single, “Recover,” on the tracklist. Other notable songs include “Death Stranding” and “Leave a Trace.”

The Members

Here’s some more information about each of the three members of the band.

Lauren Mayberry

Lauren Mayberry, the frontwoman of the band, was born on October 7, 1987, in Thornhill, Sterling, Great Britain, which makes her 33 years old. In addition to singing, Mayberry is also a drummer – she played with several bands in the Glasgow scene as a teen and young adult, including the band Blue Sky Archives. She has been featured on tracks by Death Cab For Cutie, Bleachers, The National, and numerous other bands and artists across multiple genres.

Iain Cook

Iain Cook is one half of the producer duo that comprises the rest of CHVRCHES. Prior to forming CHVRCHES, Cook was a guitarist in Aereogramme, a Scottish alternative rock band. Cook, along with bandmate Martin Doherty, has served as a producer for every CHVRCHES album since the band’s formation. On the band’s 2018 third album, Love Is Dead, he collaborated with Greg Kurstin, who is known for his work with Adele and Sia.

Martin Doherty​

Martin Doherty, the third member of CHVRCHES, serves as a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and background vocalist for the band. He plays keyboards and synthesizers, as well as guitar, for the group and has co-produced all of their albums. Before the formation of CHVRCHES, Doherty was a member of The Twilight Sad, as well as Aereogramme.

Building Up Anticipation for a New Album​

As of 2021, the band has officially confirmed that they will be releasing a fourth studio album, Screen Violence, via Virgin EMI and Glassnote Records. The record, which was produced by the band with some members in Los Angeles and some in Glasgow via video calls and audio sharing platforms, will be released on August 27 this year. CHVRCHES has already put out two new singles for the forthcoming record – “How Not to Drown” and “He Said She Said.”