REVIEW: PVRIS' "EVERGREEN" via Hopeless

PVRIS are back with their fourth record and second since Lynn Gunn has declared it as mostly her solo project. I’ve never really been too invested in PVRIS’ music, especially after that little declaration. There’s just something off putting about anyone switching the entirety of their bandmates to a touring only status and then claiming you’ve always been the creative force as if credits on your past records don’t exist. Lynn’s attitude toward everything aside, their music never quite hit for me, at least not in an album sense. There’s always some songs on each PVRIS record that hit for me and EVERGREEN is no different, but it’s also no different in how I feel about the body work as a whole.

The record opens on “I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore,” a track that sounds stale on release with some tired verses and a chorus whose only memorable quality is how much it's drilled into your skull. Lynn does come through with some solid melodies on the bridge here but by that point it’s all sort of soiled for me. From there we get “Good Enemy,” which I do sort of like in spite of the fact that, like many points on this record, it just sort of feels like music from a car cash scene in an action movie. There’s some cool instrumentation and a chorus that sounds to me like it’s a sample of “Holly Wood the Cracked” by Coheed & Cambria but I can’t know that for sure. That is the issue though, it has the same energy as more or less any song on the record.


As I said though, this isn’t all boring all the time. The confidence brought forth on songs like “Goddess” and “Animal” are something to admire. Lynn here delivers some memorable vocal lines to some neat pop cuts and aside from a couple cracks in delivery they’re pretty strong songs overall. “Anywhere but Here” is another track I really enjoy. Somber beat, haunting vocals and all in all a solid song but it still sort of turns into film Ipsm only this time it’s the sad end credits after a cliffhanger.


I think aside from the sort of boring tracks what gets me here is that a lot of this is sort of soulless, by the numbers girl bossing that feels so inorganic. Like the lyrics on “Senti-Mental?” Girl stop. I think while I am being a little hard here it’s because it’s your everyday synthpop. It’s still a PVRIS record. Maybe it’s a better one?


Our rating - 6/10

Favorite tracks:
  1. I DON'T WANNA DO THIS ANYMORE
  2. GOOD ENEMY
  3. GODDESS
  4. ANIMAL
  5. HYPE ZOMBIES
  6. TAKE MY NIRVANA
  7. SENTI-MENTAL
  8. ANYWHERE BUT HERE
  9. HEADLIGHTS
  10. LOVE IS A...
  11. EVERGREEN

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