- Chvrches, the Glasgow trio of Iain Cook, Martin Doherty and Lauren Mayberry, occupy a sweet spot in dance-leaning pop music: they skirt maudlin sentiment in radical ways. On "Leave A Trace," a single from sophomore album Every Open Eye, the band's synths have dimmed from the usual Times Square-like flash. Mayberry casts more shade over the song in her lyrics, telling an ex-lover, "Take care to leave a trace of a man." Where she often seemed to float over the music, she digs right into the glassy, latticed melodies of "Leave A Trace." In doing so, Chvrches deliver one of their most rousing and anthemic songs.
Four Tet, who normally has great form remixing records like this, turns in an underwhelming version. The first couple of minutes are a jumble of matte synths and homespun melodies, which all seems to promise a There Is Love In You-style coda. What we get instead is an overlong break filled with clunky samples of Mayberry clattering ungracefully over each other, and then a slightly bass-loaded reprise of the intro. Given the quality of source material, it's a surprise he didn't do more.
TracklistA1 Leave A Trace
B1 Leave A Trace (Four Tet Remix)