Formed in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada in 2011, Alvvays has become one of the most respected bands in modern Indie Rock. Founded by Molly Rankin – whose father is John Morris Rankin from Celtic Folk group The Rankin Family – the roots of Alvvays began in 2010 when she and guitarist Alec O’Hanley recorded her solo EP, SHE. The following year, Molly recruited O’Hanley, keyboardist Kerry MacLean, bassist Brian Murphy (replaced by Abbey Blackwell in 2021), and drummer Phil MacIsaac (replaced by Sheridan Riley in 2017) to form Alvvays. Once the original lineup was solidified, the group members moved to Toronto, Canada to integrate themselves into the city’s thriving music scene.

Alvvays built up a solid live reputation, eventually signing a deal with Polyvinyl (US) and Royal Mountain in Canada. Their debut single was 2013’s “Archie, Marry Me,” followed by their self-titled debut album in 2014. While the album didn’t achieve great chart success in Billboard, it became a critical success and introduced the group to a wider audience. The critical success and word-of-mouth led to great anticipation for Alvvay’s sophomore album, ANTISOCIALITES, released in 2017. The album was an international success, making the Top 40 in Canada and landing in the Top 30 in Scotland and the UK. Even the US showed some love when the album reached #82 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. With continued critical success and an adoring fanbase, Alvvays’ popularity spread across the US, Europe, and to other corners of the world.

Five years after the release of ANTISOCIALITES, Alvvays return in 2022 with their third album, BLUE REV. The album blends Indie, Twee, and Dreampop with swashes of Shoegaze, taking Alvvays’ sound to a new level. At times, the album is more aggressive than their previous two full lengths but it doesn’t veer too far off from Alvvays’ classic sound. With tracks like “Pharmacist,” “Belinda Says,” “After The Earthquake,” “Very Online Guy,” and “Easy On Your Own,” BLUE REV is an album that may have taken half a decade to reach us, it is very much worth the wait. The album’s mixture of power, emotion, and charm works in its favor, allowing Alvvays to bravely add new layers to their sound and continue to move forward. If the COVID pandemic slowed the band down (like it did with most other bands), Alvvays used that extra time wisely and created something quite marvelous.

ALVVAYS

BLUE REV

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