The Bones of What You Believe

The Bones of What You Believe
On a red background, three black circles, with three blue carets forming a triangles in the center. The bands name, spelled as "CHVRCHΞS" with the "E" as three bars appears with the album title "The Bones of What You Believe" written in a different font.
Studio album by
Chvrches
Released20 September 2013 (2013-09-20)
Recorded2011–2013
StudioAlucard, Glasgow
Genre
Length48:00
Label
ProducerChvrches
Chvrches chronology
Recover
(2013) 		The Bones of What You Believe
(2013) 		Every Open Eye
(2015)
Singles from The Bones of What You Believe
  1. "The Mother We Share"
    Released: 5 November 2012
  2. "Recover"
    Released: 6 February 2013
  3. "Gun"
    Released: 15 July 2013
  4. "Lies"
    Released: 2 December 2013
  5. "We Sink"
    Released: 28 March 2014
  6. "Under the Tide"
    Released: 30 September 2014
  7. "Tether"
    Released: 29 March 2015

The Bones of What You Believe is the debut studio album by Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches, released on 20 September 2013 by Virgin Records and Goodbye Records. Recorded between 2011 and 2013 in Glasgow,[5] the album was written, composed, and produced by the band as a collaborative effort. It was made available as both a 12-track standard edition and an 18-track special version, the latter including two extra songs, two remixes and two live videos.[6] The album was debuted with a launch party broadcast live on music streaming platform Boiler Room.[7][8]

The album's title derives from a lyric in the song "Strong Hand"; according to frontwoman Lauren Mayberry, it refers to the raw "creativity and effort" that served as the figurative and literal skeleton for the album.[9] Musically, The Bones of What You Believe is primarily a synth-pop and indie pop album that incorporates 1980s influences.[1][2][10]

The Bones of What You Believe received critical acclaim, with many complimenting Mayberry's songwriting and vocal performance, and Iain Cook and Martin Doherty's use of synthesisers and vocal loops. The album debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart, selling 12,415 copies in its first week.[11] It also reached the top 15 in Australia, Ireland and the United States, and the top 20 in Austria and Canada. The album has sold 152,514 copies in the UK and 184,000 copies in the US.[12][13] Pitchfork ranked The Bones of What You Believe at number 180 on its list of "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s".[14]

The album spawned seven singles: "The Mother We Share", "Recover", "Gun", "Lies", "We Sink", "Under the Tide" and "Tether", with the lead single becoming a moderate commercial success, charting in the top 10 in Belgium and Japan, as well as the top 40 in the United Kingdom. It also peaked at number 12 on the Alternative Songs chart in the United States.

On 20 October 2023, the 10 Year Anniversary Special Edition of the album was released, which included an additional 4 new tracks and 5 live tracks.[15]

  1. ^ a b Shepherd, Sam (20 September 2013). "Chvrches – The Bones of What You Believe". MusicOMH. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b Samach, Gabriel (11 October 2013). "Chvrches – The Bones of What You Believe". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference nme was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2023. On their debut album, Chvrches ushered in a new era of dance pop with an indie soul.
  5. ^ Duncan, Bryan (1 June 2012). "On the Radar – No 207: CHURCHES". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  6. ^ "Chvrches unveil tracklisting for debut album 'The Bones of What You Believe'". NME. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  7. ^ Set, The Field (15 October 2013). "[VIDEO] CHVRCHES Boiler Room Album Launch Party". Gotta Dance Dirty. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  8. ^ "CHVRCHES Album Launch Party – BOILER ROOM". boilerroom.tv. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  9. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (16 September 2013). "CHVRCHES' Hype Dreams: Can Blog Buzz Produce A Hit Album?". Billboard. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference rs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Jones, Alan (30 September 2013). "Official Charts Analysis: Kings of Leon LP sells 71k in week one". Music Week. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference UK sales was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference US sales was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference P4K-best-of-2010s was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Major, Michael (20 October 2023). "CHVRCHES Release 10 Year Anniversary Special Edition Of 'The Bones of What You Believe'". Broadway World. Wisdom Digital Media. Retrieved 30 August 2024.