#91

#91. CHVRCHES - Lies (#60, 2013)

18th of 2013

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You have no idea how badly I just want to copy paste the first two paragraphs of my "If I Could Change Your Mind" (#102) entry. Basically everything I said there could have been written word for word on this entry that occupies a very similar space in my mind. They basically came out at the same time, are both living in the shadow of bigger hits without much in the way of distinctive gimmicks. Haim just landed in the list first and got the 'Get out of writer block free' card.

This isn't all a problem though. I think it's an opportunity to explore another aspect of how these kinds of entries happen, because it's hard to think of them as casual entry points. I think back to 2009, when I was basically listening to almost nothing but Muse for months on end. I wanted their newest album "The Resistance" to conquer the world, and to an extent it did, with bigger first week sales and hits than the band had really had before. I wanted them to top the Hottest 100 again, but I also wanted them to get as many entries as possible. I remember someone on the triple j forums suggesting that the best plan of attack was for fans to vote the deeper cuts that need the support. So I had it both ways and voted for both "Uprising" and "MK Ultra". I learnt the hard way that the world doesn't actually revolve around Muse, so not only did they not win the countdown again, but all those extra songs just scraped into the bottom end of the top 200. Not a bad result still, and generally could be considered a win as pretty much the whole album, barring the 3-track symphony at the end, and the much maligned "Guiding Light" got in there.

I look at it as that occasional moment where you feel so obsessed with an album that you put aside any inhibitions and nerves and you just kinda want everyone to be listening to it. It gets extra effective if the album is already in the spotlight to an extent because you both feel encouraged by a likeminded army, while feeling like it's actually possible to tip the scales just a little bit more. I think about that the way that Olivia Rodrigo's fanbase continues to get her #1 hits that easily could have fallen a little short. Or otherwise whenever any artist has a field day with the Hottest 100. If you're on board with it all, these can be some of the most fun experiences. Hanging out to hear your favourite artist and to have it actually start with a whimper because the bang is coming later, it's promising a good time. I've felt it a bit recently when it came to Billie Eilish in 2024, and Ninajirachi in 2025, because most of those songs are just really good.

The experience with CHVRCHES in 2013 is a little tame by comparison. It's possible we can pretend they had a 4th entry if "The Mother We Share" were eligible, but otherwise, "Lies" is just the cherry on top of a particularly good debut performance for the Scottish trio. Now that I'm saying this, I suppose "Lies" was literally their first ever appearance, which is a strange thing to bestow on a late album single that again, I don't think is very gimmicky or noteworthy. That's just what happens when you measure things on a yearly basis instead of weekly.

I felt strongly about "Lies" at the time as quite clearly my 3rd favourite song on the album. The song has only gone up in my estimation since then while still sitting clearly in 3rd (one of those songs will appear later in this list). I want to say that it's the most straightforward CHVRCHES song, but I don't think that's true, if only because there's a certain darkness undercutting the song's chorus which later reveals itself in the song's menacing outro. The whole song is built on this big synth explosion that only has a lighter melody peppered over it to make it sound as sparkling as you might expect. It's a little trick the song has going for it where the song's big hook is from Lauren extending out the title while a bunch of notes are going on behind it, a combination of slow and fast that nonetheless never feels out of place.