{{good article}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=June 2026}} {{Infobox album | name = Screen Violence | type = studio | artist = Chvrches | cover = Chvrches - Screen Violence.png | alt = A dark room with red light glowing. A TV is plugged in with a hand touching over window blinds. | released = {{Start date|2021|08|27|df=yes}} | recorded = <!-- Recorded is for dates/years, not places --> | studio = * Glasgow, Scotland * Los Angeles, United States | genre = * Pop * synth-pop <!-- Please source genres --> | length = 42:53 | label = {{flatlist| * EMI * Glassnote }} | producer = Chvrches | prev_title = Hansa Session | prev_year = 2018 | next_title = | next_year = | misc = {{Singles | name = Screen Violence | type = studio | single1 = He Said She Said | single1date = 19 April 2021 | single2 = How Not to Drown | single2date = 2 June 2021 | single3 = Good Girls | single3date = 12 July 2021 }} }}
'''''Screen Violence''''' is the fourth studio album by Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches. Conceived after their previous album ''Love Is Dead'' (2018), production began in early 2020 before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, and continued remotely once it began. Thematically based around horror, the album is tonally darker and more narrative-based than the band's previous work. Its songs draw on the band's personal experiences, such as disillusionment and the societal expectations of womanhood.
The album was preceded by three singles: "He Said She Said", "How Not To Drown", and "Good Girls", the second of which incorporates vocals from the Cure frontman Robert Smith. The album was released on 27 August 2021 through EMI Records in the UK and Glassnote Records in the US. It received largely positive reviews from critics, who commended its composition and lyrical themes. The single "How Not To Drown" was recognised at the NME Awards 2022.
==Background==
For their previous album, ''Love Is Dead'' (2018), Chvrches worked with external producers such as Greg Kurstin and oriented their sound towards pop music.<ref name="allmusic"/> With the band's growing popularity, frontwoman Lauren Mayberry received increased scrutiny and attention, and death threats and abusive messages, which increased the pressure on her and the band.<ref name="burgham"/><ref name="jamieson"/> After collaborating with Marshmello on "Here with Me" in 2019, the band criticised him for working with Chris Brown and Tyga despite sexual abuse allegations made against them; Brown responded by stating he wished that the band was hit by a "speeding bus full of mental patients". Meanwhile, the band's songwriter and instrument player Martin Doherty was struggling with depression and became secluded while on tour for ''Love Is Dead''. These events partially influenced the ultimate direction of ''Screen Violence''.<ref name="chaudhry"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Shutler |first1=Ali |title=Chvrches on the trauma behind new album Screen Violence: ‘I became obsessed with mortality’ |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/chvrches-trauma-behind-new-album-screen-violence-became-obsessed/ |website=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=19 November 2025 |date=14 August 2021 |url-access=registration |archive-date=6 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260106071558/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/chvrches-trauma-behind-new-album-screen-violence-became-obsessed/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Recording== The title ''Screen Violence'' came from a discarded name for the band, and was initially floated as a new album concept in 2019, inspired by the theme of violence "on screen, by screens and through screens".<ref name="jamieson"/> Production began in February 2020 shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the majority of songwriting was accomplished during this time.<ref name="jamieson"/><ref name="moore">{{cite web |last1=Moore |first1=Sam |title=CHVRCHES on Screen Violence - The Skinny |url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/interviews/chvrches-interview-screen-violence |website=The Skinny |access-date=19 November 2025 |language=en |archive-date=10 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251010181039/https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/interviews/chvrches-interview-screen-violence |url-status=live }}</ref> As the pandemic began, production was continued remotely through programs such as Zoom; Doherty noted that the album's name became "a bit more literal" with its onset, with the band feeling "like half of our lives were lived through screens."<ref name="NME"/><ref name="jamieson"/>
To prepare for the album, Mayberry watched a variety of horror movies.<ref name="chaudhry">{{cite web |last1=Chaudhry |first1=Aliya |title=Chvrches Refuse to Be the “Final Girls” |url=https://slate.com/culture/2021/08/chvrches-interview-screen-violence-review.html |website=Slate |access-date=19 November 2025 |date=26 August 2021| url-access= registration}}</ref> Doherty stated that the lack of touring allowed more experimentation with sounds and techniques.<ref name="moore"/> The album was recorded between Glasgow and Los Angeles; unlike ''Love Is Dead'', the band produced it themselves.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Newstead |first1=Al |title=CHVRCHES share collab with The Cure's Robert Smith, detail new album |url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/chvrches-share-collab-with-the-cures-robert-smith,-detail-new/13372322 |website=Triple J |access-date=19 November 2025 |language=en-AU |date=3 June 2021 |archive-date=6 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260106061935/https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/chvrches-share-collab-with-the-cures-robert-smith,-detail-new/13372322 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="allmusic"/>
The single "How Not to Drown" evolved from a piano and drum demo recorded by Doherty and was written during a time when he was dealing with "crippling depression and anxiety".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/chvrches-announce-new-album-screen-violence-and-release-new-single-with-the-cures-robert-smith|title=Chvrches announce new album Screen Violence and release new single with The Cure's Robert Smith|website=Louder|last=Scarlett|first=Elizabeth|date=3 June 2021|access-date=4 June 2021|archive-date=3 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603121109/https://www.loudersound.com/news/chvrches-announce-new-album-screen-violence-and-release-new-single-with-the-cures-robert-smith|url-status=live}}</ref> It features vocals by the Cure frontman Robert Smith, who was approached by the band's manager, despite Doherty considering it implausible Smith would get in touch. Once Smith approached the band, they sent the track and he sent back his vocal performance.<ref name="doherty">{{cite web |last1=Doherty |first1=Niall |title="He's a true gem": Chvrches look back on their collaboration with Robert Smith |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/chvrches-look-back-on-their-collaboration-with-robert-smith |website=Louder |access-date=18 November 2025 |language=en |date=10 February 2024}}</ref><ref name="triscari">{{cite web |last1=Triscari |first1=Caleb |title=Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry says lyrics of ‘How Not To Drown’ are about “the only time I ever thought about quitting the band” |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/chvrches-lauren-mayberry-lyrics-how-not-to-drown-quitting-the-band-the-cure-robert-smith-2954830 |website=NME |access-date=18 November 2025 |date=3 June 2021 |archive-date=25 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925123110/https://www.nme.com/news/music/chvrches-lauren-mayberry-lyrics-how-not-to-drown-quitting-the-band-the-cure-robert-smith-2954830 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Composition and themes== Like Chvrches' previous work, ''Screen Violence'' is a synth-pop album, though it is tonally darker than the band's past albums.<ref name="PopMatters">{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/chvrches-screen-violence-album-review|title=Chvrches' 'Screen Violence' Reaches for the Heart, Mind, and Feet|website=PopMatters|last=Piatkowski|first=Peter|date=23 August 2021|access-date=26 August 2021|archive-date=26 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826044157/https://www.popmatters.com/chvrches-screen-violence-album-review|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lopez |first1=Julyssa |title=Chvrches Confront The Horrors Of The Internet On 'Screen Violence' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/chvrches-screen-violence-1219711/ |website=Rolling Stone |access-date=19 November 2025 |date=2 September 2021 |archive-date=30 March 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260330112252/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/chvrches-screen-violence-1219711/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Experimentation during the pandemic led Doherty to incorporate more guitar elements.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fuamoli |first1=Sose |title=CHVRCHES open up on new influences and 'He Said She Said' |url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/chvrches-interview-he-said-she-said-new-album/13310220 |website=triple j |access-date=19 November 2025 |language=en-AU |date=20 April 2021 |archive-date=12 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251012061608/https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/chvrches-interview-he-said-she-said-new-album/13310220 |url-status=live }}</ref> Critics have described the album as having a horror theme,<ref name="pitchfork"/><ref name="slant"/> with the band being influenced by the video nasty genre of horror film.<ref name="jamieson">{{cite web |last1=Jamieson |first1=Sarah |title=Through The Looking Glass: Chvrches |url=https://diymag.com/interview/chvrches-screen-violence-august-2021-interview |website=DIY |access-date=18 November 2025 |language=en |date=16 August 2021 |archive-date=6 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260106053650/https://diymag.com/interview/chvrches-screen-violence-august-2021-interview |url-status=live }}</ref> In an interview for the album, Mayberry noted that women were not often centred in these movies, stating that "a lot of the songs" in ''Screen Violence'' focus on interrogating the absence of certain perspectives in horror media.<ref name="chaudhry"/>
The album's songs were described by ''NME'' as "addressing feelings of loneliness, disillusionment and fear, among other emotions";<ref name="NME"/> the band listened to the Cure, Depeche Mode, and Brian Eno to inspire its sound.<ref name="kheraj">{{cite web |last1=Kheraj |first1=Alim |title='I wrote down what I was most terrified of': Lauren Mayberry on Chvrches' return |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/dec/28/i-wrote-down-what-i-was-most-terrified-of-lauren-mayberry-on-chvrches-return |website=The Guardian |access-date=18 November 2025 |date=28 December 2020}}</ref> Mayberry stated she intended to take a "different" lyrical direction from Chvrches' earlier work, abandoning the "parameters [she] would normally put in place" in favour of more narrative-based lyrics, and citing Nick Cave and Jenny Lewis as inspiration.<ref name="jamieson"/><ref name="burgham">{{cite web |last1=Burgham |first1=Lydia |title=Chvrches on their new album and the horrors of the internet |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/lockdown-listening-chvrches-new-album-screen-violence-and-the-horrors-of-the-internet/QLHBYNVCHWDL26ZEHVOH56F4PM/ |website=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=19 November 2025 |date=8 September 2021 |language=en-NZ |url-access=subscription |archive-date=18 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251018210846/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/lockdown-listening-chvrches-new-album-screen-violence-and-the-horrors-of-the-internet/QLHBYNVCHWDL26ZEHVOH56F4PM/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to her, it initially felt "freeing" for the album to have an abstract and "escapist" concept, but the lyrics ended up being "definitely still personal",<ref name="Stereogum"/> with her describing them as being about "the things we experienced that feel like horror".<ref name="burgham"/>
=== Songs === The opening track, "Asking for a Friend", features Mayberry considering her past actions.<ref name="empire"/> "He Said She Said" comments on expectations around womanhood and contradictory messages expected of them,<ref name="allmusic" /><ref name="PopMatters"/><ref name="chaudhry" /> with the "he said"s being sonically elevated and the "she said"s being muffled.<ref name="pitchfork" /> "California" is a "breakup song to Hollywood",<ref name="pitchfork" /> being described by the band as a "juxtaposition" between the sunny "idea" of California and themes of failure and abandonment.<ref name="williams">{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Sophie |title=Watch CHVRCHES' track-by-track guide to 'Screen Violence' |url=https://www.nme.com/features/music-features/chvrches-track-by-track-guide-screen-violence-3030253 |website=NME |access-date=31 May 2026 |date=1 September 2021}}</ref> "Violent Delights" includes references to ''A Nightmare on Elm Street''.<ref name="burgham"/> The goth-influenced<ref name="exclaim" /><ref name="chaudhry" /> "How Not to Drown", a duet with the Cure frontman Robert Smith,<ref name="empire"/> features lyrics about being "disillusioned about music and the industry", reflecting a time when Mayberry was considering leaving the band.<ref name="doherty"/><ref name="triscari"/>
"Final Girl" is a reference to the "final girl" horror trope,<ref name="empire">{{cite web |last1=Empire |first1=Kitty |title=Chvrches: Screen Violence review – full of fighting spirit |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/aug/28/chvrches-screen-violence-review |website=The Observer |access-date=19 November 2025 |date=28 August 2021}}</ref> but also alludes to the real-life experiences of women.<ref name="williams"/> "Good Girls" is a "defiant" synth-pop song where Mayberry rebukes attributes expected of "good girls" by punctuating the musical flow with "but I don't!".<ref name="allmusic" /><ref name="pitchfork" /><ref name="chaudhry" /> "Lullabies" and "Nightmares" are a couplet, being written shortly after each other;<ref name="williams"/> the latter explores forgiving both oneself and others.<ref name="avclub" /> The subdued final track, "Better if You Don't" incorporates rock sounds.<ref name="pitchfork" />
==Release and promotion== The lead single "He Said She Said" was released on 19 April 2021.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/chvrches-he-said-she-said-single-1157127/|title=Chvrches Return With 'He Said She Said'|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Martoccio|first=Angie|date=19 April 2021|access-date=4 June 2021|archive-date=23 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723163331/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/chvrches-he-said-she-said-single-1157127/|url-status=live}}</ref> The album was announced on June 2 alongside the second single, "How Not to Drown", in collaboration with Robert Smith.<ref name="NME">{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/chvrches-announce-new-album-screen-violence-share-how-not-to-drown-with-the-cures-robert-smith-2954593|title=Chvrches announce new album 'Screen Violence', share 'How Not To Drown' with The Cure's Robert Smith|work=NME|last=Krol|first=Charlotte|date=2 June 2021|access-date=4 June 2021|archive-date=25 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625060442/https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/chvrches-announce-new-album-screen-violence-share-how-not-to-drown-with-the-cures-robert-smith-2954593|url-status=live}}</ref> The third single, "Good Girls", was released on July 12.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blistein |first1=Jon |title=Chvrches Smash Phony Expectations on New Song 'Good Girls' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/chvrches-new-song-good-girls-1195984/ |website=Rolling Stone |access-date=14 September 2025 |date=12 July 2021 |archive-date=7 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907112423/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/chvrches-new-song-good-girls-1195984/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In early August, horror filmmaker and composer John Carpenter released a remix of "Good Girls", with Chvrches releasing a remix of his track "Turning the Bones" in exchange.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gregory |first1=Allie |title=John Carpenter and CHVRCHES Remix Each Other on New 7-Inch |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/john_carpenter_and_chvrches_remix_each_other_on_new_7-inch |website=Exclaim! |access-date=19 November 2025 |date=6 August 2021 |archive-date=6 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260106055357/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/john_carpenter_and_chvrches_remix_each_other_on_new_7-inch |url-status=live }}</ref>
The music videos for all three singles, described as a "connected trilogy", were made in collaboration with visual artist Scott Kiernan, who the band found through a Moog advertisement. Kiernan also took a role as creative director, working with the band on the visual elements of the album. The videos incorporate various props, including a large revolving door, a television screen, a darkroom, and an autorefractor. Due to COVID-19 lockdowns, the video for "How Not to Drown" involved Smith and the band members being filmed separately and composited together using greenscreen.<ref name="shaffer">{{cite web |last1=Shaffer |first1=Claire |title=Chvrches, Robert Smith Channel Film Noir for New 'How Not to Drown' Video |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/chvrches-robert-smith-how-not-to-drown-video-1178001/ |website=Rolling Stone |access-date=18 November 2025 |date=3 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Shaffer |first1=Claire |title=Chvrches Relive Memories in a Darkroom in ‘He Said She Said’ Video |url=https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/chvrches-he-said-she-said-video-25529/ |website=Rolling Stone Australia |access-date=18 November 2025 |language=en-AU |date=22 April 2021 |archive-date=6 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260106144528/https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/chvrches-he-said-she-said-video-25529/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="lavin">{{cite web |last1=Lavin |first1=Will |title=Watch Chvrches get lost in technicolour in new video for 'Good Girls' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-chvrches-get-lost-in-technicolour-new-video-for-good-girls-2994749 |website=NME |access-date=19 November 2025 |date=15 July 2021 |archive-date=20 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250720191028/https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-chvrches-get-lost-in-technicolour-new-video-for-good-girls-2994749 |url-status=live }}</ref>
The album was released on 27 August 2021 through EMI Records in the UK and Glassnote Records in the US.<ref name="lavin"/><ref name="Stereogum">{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2149843/chvrches-how-not-to-drown-feat-robert-smith/music/|title=Chvrches Announce New Album 'Screen Violence,' Release Robert Smith Collaboration|website=Stereogum|last=Chelosky|first=Danielle|date=2 June 2021|access-date=4 June 2021|archive-date=3 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603234427/https://www.stereogum.com/2149843/chvrches-how-not-to-drown-feat-robert-smith/music/|url-status=live}}</ref> On October 29, the band released a "director's cut" edition, containing three additional songs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Triscari |first1=Caleb |title=Chvrches announce 'Director's Cut' expanded edition of 'Screen Violence' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/chvrches-announce-directors-cut-expanded-edition-of-screen-violence-3078950 |website=NME |access-date=14 September 2025 |date=26 October 2021 |archive-date=6 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260106062822/https://www.nme.com/news/music/chvrches-announce-directors-cut-expanded-edition-of-screen-violence-3078950 |url-status=live }}</ref> The album was promoted with a North American tour from November to December 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://americansongwriter.com/chvrches-reveal-fourth-album-screen-violence-share-how-not-to-drown-with-the-cures-robert-smith/|title=Chvrches Reveal Fourth Album 'Screen Violence,' Share "How Not to Drown" Video with The Cure's Robert Smith|work=American Songwriter|last=Benitez-Eves|first=Tina|date=3 June 2021|access-date=4 June 2021|archive-date=5 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605073830/https://americansongwriter.com/chvrches-reveal-fourth-album-screen-violence-share-how-not-to-drown-with-the-cures-robert-smith/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/chvrches/chvrches-announce-screen-violence-share-new-single/|title=CHVRCHES Announce ''Screen Violence'', Share New Single and Tour Dates|work=Paste|last=Gomez|first=Jade|date=2 June 2021|access-date=4 June 2021|archive-date=3 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603231139/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/chvrches/chvrches-announce-screen-violence-share-new-single/|url-status=live}}</ref> The next year, they collaborated with Old Blood Noise Endeavors on a guitar pedal named after the album.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Breathnach |first1=Cillian |title=Old Blood Noise Endeavors and CHVRCHES unveil Screen Violence, a shoegazey stereo boost and reverb |url=https://guitar.com/news/gear-news/old-blood-noise-endeavors-chvrches-screen-violence-a-shoegazey-stereo-boost-reverb/ |website=Guitar.com |access-date=18 November 2025}}</ref>
==Reception== {{Album ratings | MC = 81/100<ref name="mc">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/screen-violence/chvrches|title=Screen Violence by Chvrches Reviews and Tracks|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=26 August 2021|archive-date=26 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826155119/https://www.metacritic.com/music/screen-violence/chvrches|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/screen-violence-mw0003537654/|title=Screen Violence – Chvrches|website=AllMusic|last=Phares|first=Heather|date=26 August 2021|access-date=26 August 2021|archive-date=27 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827171710/https://www.allmusic.com/album/screen-violence-mw0003537654/|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev2 = ''The A.V. Club'' | rev2score = B+<ref name="avclub">{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/chvrches-album-screen-violence-finds-a-newly-mature-ba-1847566530|title=Chvrches' album Screen Violence finds a newly mature band rediscovering its strengths|website=The A.V. Club|last=McLevy|first=Alex|date=27 August 2021|access-date=27 August 2021|archive-date=28 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828083112/https://www.avclub.com/chvrches-album-screen-violence-finds-a-newly-mature-ba-1847566530|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev3 = ''Exclaim!'' | rev3score = 8/10<ref name="exclaim">{{cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/chvrches_screen_violence_album_review|title=CHVRCHES Find New Vitality in Analyzing Modern Society's 'Screen Violence'|website=Exclaim!|last=Blinov|first=Paul|date=24 August 2021|access-date=26 August 2021|archive-date=26 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826044142/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/chvrches_screen_violence_album_review|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev4 = ''The Line of Best Fit'' | rev4score = 7/10<ref name="tlobf">{{cite web|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/chvrches-screen-violence-album-review|title=Chvrches settle confidently into their pop soundscapes on Screen Violence|website=The Line of Best Fit|last=Oleinik|first=Marie|date=24 August 2021|access-date=26 August 2021|archive-date=26 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826044142/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/chvrches-screen-violence-album-review|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev5 = ''Paste'' | rev5score = 6.1/10<ref name="paste">{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/chvrches/chvrches-screen-violence-does-little-to-refine-or/|title=CHVRCHES' ''Screen Violence'' Does Little to Refine or Evolve Their Sound|website=Paste|last=Sharples|first=Grant|date=23 August 2021|access-date=26 August 2021|archive-date=26 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826044434/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/chvrches/chvrches-screen-violence-does-little-to-refine-or/|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev6 = ''Pitchfork'' | rev6score = 7.2/10<ref name="pitchfork">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/chvrches-screen-violence/|title=Chvrches: Screen Violence Album Review|website=Pitchfork|last=St. Asaph|first=Katherine|date=2 September 2021|access-date=3 September 2021|archive-date=2 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902181056/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/chvrches-screen-violence/|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev7 = ''PopMatters'' | rev7score = 8/10<ref name="PopMatters"/> | rev8 = ''Slant Magazine'' | rev8score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="slant">{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/chvrches-screen-violence-album-review/|title=Review: Chvrches's ''Screen Violence'' Transforms Hopelessness Into Inspiration|website=Slant Magazine|last=Mason|first=Eric|date=23 August 2021|access-date=26 August 2021|archive-date=26 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826153027/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/chvrches-screen-violence-album-review/|url-status=live}}</ref> }}
The ratings aggregation website Metacritic described ''Screen Violence'' as having "universal acclaim", holding a score of 81/100 based on a weighted average of 24 critical reviews.<ref name="mc"/>
The composition was largely praised by reviewers. Katherine St. Asaph of ''Pitchfork'' praised the album for experimenting with a variety of influences and avoiding "10 variations on 'Clearest Blue'".<ref name="pitchfork"/> ''Exclaim!'' reviewer Paul Blinov called the album's sound "lively and responsive to the mood", considering it more sonically ambitious than their previous work.<ref name="exclaim"/> ''Variety'' writer Zack Ruskin stated the band was at "top of their game", with "backbeats that expertly skitter and scurry" on "Violent Delights".<ref name="variety">{{cite web |last1=Ruskin |first1=Zack |title=Chvrches Stare Down Nightmares in ‘Screen Violence’: Album Review |url=https://variety.com/2021/music/album-reviews/chvrches-screen-violence-album-review-1235050579/ |website=Variety |access-date=31 May 2026 |date=27 August 2021}}</ref> Contrastingly, ''The Line of Best Fit'' writer Marie Oleinik perceived the album as sometimes bereft of "imagination and sonic diversity", stating that she failed to distinguish some tracks even after repeat listening.<ref name="tlobf"/> Grant Sharples of ''Paste'' considered the album a "retread" that failed to live up to the band's past work, and its later portion as being made up of "forgettable material".<ref name="paste"/> Whilst Olienik considered Robert Smith's vocals poorly incorporated in "How Not to Drown", Blinov considered it "excellent goth-pop", and ''AllMusic'' reviewer Heather Phares described it as "gloomy enough to honor the legacies of everyone involved".<ref name="tlobf"/><ref name="exclaim"/><ref name="allmusic"/>
The album's thematic content was also widely commended, being described as "more mature" than Chvrches' previous work by ''The A.V. Club'' writer Alex McLevy.<ref name="avclub"/> ''Slant'' reviewer Eric Mason felt that the album "lives up to its title’s promise of anguish and suspicion of the Hollywood machine", considering it a return to form after ''Love Is Dead''.<ref name="slant"/> Phares described it as the band's most purposeful record to date,<ref name="allmusic"/> and ''PopMatters'' praised the themes present in the lyrics, describing "Good Girls" as a "righteous rebuke of hypocrisy".<ref name="PopMatters"/>
The album lead Consequence to name Chvrches their 2021 Band of the Year.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ragusa |first1=Paolo |title=How 2021 Band of the Year CHVRCHES Navigated a COVID-Challenged Galaxy |url=https://consequence.net/2021/12/chvrches-band-of-the-year-2021-interview/ |website=Consequence |access-date=19 November 2025 |language=en |date=7 December 2021 |archive-date=5 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251105121232/https://consequence.net/2021/12/chvrches-band-of-the-year-2021-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Robert Smith and Chvrches won the Best Song By A UK Artist award for "How Not to Drown" at the NME Awards 2022.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Damian |title=CHVRCHES and The Cure’s Robert Smith win Best Song By A UK Artist at the BandLab NME Awards 2022 |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/chvrches-robert-smith-how-not-to-drown-win-best-song-by-a-uk-artist-bandlab-nme-awards-2022-3172609 |website=NME |access-date=17 September 2025 |date=2 March 2022 |archive-date=12 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251112062229/https://www.nme.com/news/music/chvrches-robert-smith-how-not-to-drown-win-best-song-by-a-uk-artist-bandlab-nme-awards-2022-3172609 |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Commercial performance ==
''Screen Violence'' debuted at number four on the UK Official Albums Chart, after initially taking a lead in sales during the mid-week update chart.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ainsley |first1=Helen |title=Chvrches, Maisie Peters and Kanye West leading five-way battle for Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/chvrches-maisie-peters-and-kanye-west-leading-five-way-battle-for-number-1-on-the-official-albums-chart__33917/ |website=Official Charts |access-date=1 June 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Official Albums Chart on 3/9/2021 |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/20210903/7502/ |website=Official Charts |access-date=1 June 2026 |language=en}}</ref> In the United States, it debuted at number 31 on the ''Billboard 200''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chvrches {{!}} Biography, Music & News |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/chvrches/chart-history/tlp/ |website=Billboard |access-date=1 June 2026}}</ref> In Australia, it debuted at number 4 on the ARIA Charts.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brandle |first1=Lars |title=Kanye West’s ‘Donda’ Debuts at No. 1 In Australia, Smashes Records |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/kanye-west-donda-record-australia-charts/ |website=Billboard |access-date=1 June 2026 |date=3 September 2021|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
==Track listing== {{Track listing | headline = ''Screen Violence'' track listing | all_writing = Iain Cook, Martin Doherty, and Lauren Mayberry; "How Not to Drown" co-written with Robert Smith | total_length = 42:53
| title1 = Asking for a Friend | length1 = 5:05 | title2 = He Said She Said | length2 = 3:09 | title3 = California | length3 = 4:08 | title4 = Violent Delights | length4 = 5:20 | title5 = How Not to Drown | note5 = with Robert Smith | length5 = 5:31 | title6 = Final Girl | length6 = 4:30 | title7 = Good Girls | length7 = 3:19 | title8 = Lullabies | length8 = 3:45 | title9 = Nightmares | length9 = 4:34 | title10 = Better If You Don't | length10 = 3:32 }}
{{tracklist | total_length = | headline = Japanese edition (bonus track)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.beatink.com/products/detail.php?product_id=11870|title=BEATINK.COM Cavalcade|publisher=Beatink.com|accessdate=5 September 2021|archive-date=5 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905171647/https://www.beatink.com/products/detail.php?product_id=11870|url-status=live}}</ref> | title11 = How Not to Drown | note11 = Robert Smith Remix | length11 = 7:07 }}
{{tracklist | total_length = | headline = ''Screen Violence (Director's Cut)'' bonus tracks | title11 = Killer | note11 = | length11 = 3:20 | title12 = Screaming | note12 = | length12 = 3:34 | title13 = Bitter End | note13 = | length13 = 4:38 }}
==Personnel== Credits adapted from Tidal and the liner notes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Credits / Screen Violence / CHVRCHES |url=https://tidal.com/album/218685325/credits |publisher=Tidal |access-date=30 August 2021 |date=1 June 2026 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Screen Violence |date=2021-08-27 |id=602435970202}}</ref>
'''Chvrches''' * Lauren Mayberry – vocals, keyboards, percussion, production * Iain Cook – keyboards, programming, guitar, bass, production, mixing * Martin Doherty – keyboards, programming, guitar, bass, additional vocals on "Violent Delights", production, mixing
'''Additional personnel''' * Robert Smith – vocals, bass (playing a Fender Bass VI) and backwards guitar on "How Not To Drown" * Gavin Lurssen – mastering * Samuel Stewart – vocal engineering * Scott Kiernan – creative direction * Lary 7 – original cover photography
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+ Chart performance for ''Screen Violence'' ! scope="col"| Chart (2021) ! scope="col"| Peak<br />position |- ! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/albums-chart/2021-09-06|title=ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association|date=6 September 2021|access-date=3 September 2021|archive-date=3 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903125441/https://www.aria.com.au/charts/albums-chart/2021-09-06|url-status=live}}</ref> | 6 |- {{album chart|Austria|19|artist=Chvrches|album=Screen Violence|rowheader=true|access-date=7 September 2021}} |- {{album chart|Flanders|19|artist=Chvrches|album=Screen Violence|rowheader=true|access-date=5 September 2021}} |- {{album chart|Wallonia|49|artist=Chvrches|album=Screen Violence|rowheader=true|access-date=5 September 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardCanada|74|artist=Chvrches|rowheader=true|access-date=8 September 2021}} |- {{album chart|Czech|71|year=2021|week=35|rowheader=true|access-date=6 September 2021}} |- {{album chart|Netherlands|91|artist=Chvrches|album=Screen Violence|rowheader=true|access-date=3 September 2021}} |- {{album chart|Germany|15|id=482121|artist=Chvrches|album=Screen Violence|rowheader=true|access-date=3 September 2021}} |- {{album chart|Ireland3|4|date=20210903|rowheader=true|access-date=3 September 2021}} |- ! scope="row"| Japan Hot Albums (''Billboard Japan'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot_albums&year=2021&month=09&day=06|title=Billboard Japan Hot Albums 2021/09/01|website=Billboard Japan|language=ja|access-date=1 September 2021|archive-date=1 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901044805/https://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot_albums&year=2021&month=09&day=06|url-status=live}}</ref> | 46 |- {{album chart|Scotland|1|date=20210903|rowheader=true|access-date=4 September 2021}} |- {{album chart|Spain|52|M|url=https://www.elportaldemusica.es/album/chvrches-screen-violence?list=top-100-albums|title=Álbum: Screen Violence|publisher=Promusicae|artist=Chvrches|album=Screen Violence|rowheader=true|access-date=12 September 2021}} |- {{album chart|Switzerland|19|artist=Chvrches|album=Screen Violence|rowheader=true|access-date=5 September 2021}} |- {{album chart|UK2|4|date=20210903|rowheader=true|access-date=3 September 2021}} |- {{album chart|Billboard200|31|artist=Chvrches|rowheader=true|access-date=8 September 2021}} |}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Chvrches}} {{Authority control}}
Category:2021 albums Category:Albums impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic Category:Chvrches albums Category:Glassnote Records albums Category:EMI Records albums