Blue Rev

Alvvays' second album, Antisocialites was released in 2017.{{Cite magazine |last=Vozick-Levinson |first=Simon |date=July 6, 2022 |title='Ready for Some Levity': Alvvays Brighten Up Their Indie-Pop Dream |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/alvvays-blue-rev-1369303/ |access-date=July 22, 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} Afterwards, the band went on an extensive tour across North America and Europe, as well as often supporting the National on their tour dates.{{Cite tweet |user=TheNational |number=1102963117909258240 |author=The National |author-link=The National (band)|The National|title=A world tour begins this June, and we're thrilled to have Courtney Barnett and Alvvays joining us at many of the shows. See all tour dates at http://americanmary.com. Tickets on sale Friday, March 8th at 10AM local time. |access-date=October 5, 2022}} They began writing songs for Blue Rev almost immediately after the release of Antisocialites, but several events occurred which delayed the progress of the album: a thief broke into lead singer Molly Rankin's apartment and stole a recorder with several demos contained on it, and the day after, a basement flood threatened to destroy all of the band's gear.{{cite web|url=https://alvvays.bandcamp.com/album/blue-rev|title=Blue Rev - Alvvays|publisher=Bandcamp|access-date=July 6, 2022}} The COVID-19 pandemic then created further delays, with border closures preventing the band from rehearsing as a full group. They eventually reconvened in October 2021 in a studio in Los Angeles with producer Shawn Everett; they then went on to play all of Blue Rev front-to-back twice in a single day, with 15-second breaks between songs and a 30-minute break between full album takes.

On June 21, 2022, a month before the announcement of Blue Rev, the band announced a 2022 tour of the US between October and November that year.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/alvvays-announce-fall-2022-us-tour/|title=Alvvays Announce Fall 2022 U.S. Tour|publisher=Pitchfork|last=Strauss|first=Matthew|date=June 21, 2022|access-date=July 6, 2022}} Blue Rev is named after Rev, a Canadian alcoholic beverage.{{cite web | last=Cohen | first=Ian | title=The Beautiful Blue Twisted Fantasies of Alvvays | website=The Ringer | date=October 6, 2022 | url=https://www.theringer.com/music/2022/10/6/23390164/the-beautiful-blue-twisted-fantasies-of-alvvays | access-date=October 6, 2022}}

"Pharmacist" balances the band's signature indie-pop sound with prominent shoegaze elements,{{cite web|last=Vettese|first=John|date=July 6, 2022|title=Alvvays will release third album 'Blue Rev' this fall; listen to 'Pharmacist'|url=https://xpn.org/2022/07/06/alvvays-blue-rev-pharmacist/|access-date=July 11, 2022 |website=WXPN}}{{cite web|last=Golsen|first=Tyler|date=July 6, 2022|title=Alvvays announce new studio album 'Blue Rev' with new single|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/alvvays-announce-new-studio-album-blue-rev-with-new-single/|access-date=July 11, 2022 |website=Far Out Magazine}} including guitar distortion and "dreamy" vocals by Molly Rankin.{{cite web|last=Russell|first=Scott|date=July 6, 2022|title=Alvvays Announce New Album 'Blue Rev', Share First Single 'Pharmacist'|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/alvvays-new-album-blue-rev-single-pharmacist/|access-date=July 11, 2022|website=Paste|archive-date=October 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011140106/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/alvvays-new-album-blue-rev-single-pharmacist/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite news |last=Hernandez-Simeonidis |first=Sofie |date=July 7, 2022 |title=Alvvays, 'Pharmacist' |language=en |website=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/now-playing/2022/07/07/1110242235/alvvays-pharmacist |access-date=July 22, 2022}} Quinn Moreland of Pitchfork compared the song to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless.{{cite web|last=Moreland|first=Quinn|date=July 6, 2022|title=Alvvays: 'Pharmacist' Track Review|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/alvvays-pharmacist/|access-date=July 11, 2022|website=Pitchfork}} Other musical influences include Morrissey and the Smiths ("Pressed"), Belinda Carlisle ("Belinda Says"), Teenage Fanclub, and Yo La Tengo.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-03 |first=Rachel |last=Brodsky |title=Molly Rankin On How Teenage Fanclub, Fantasy Basketball, & More Shaped Alvvays' New Album |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2201143/alvvays-blue-rev-interview/interviews/under-the-influence/ |access-date=2022-10-13 |website=Stereogum |language=en}} The short story collection After the Quake by Japanese author Haruki Murakami inspired the lyrics of "After the Earthquake".

Blue Rev was announced on July 6, 2022, alongside the release of the lead single "Pharmacist".{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/alvvays-third-album-blue-rev-announce-release-new-single-alvvays-announce-third-album-blue-rev-and-share-new-single-pharmacist-listen-preorder-3263108|title=Alvvays announce third album 'Blue Rev' and share new single 'Pharmacist'|publisher=NME|last=Skinner|first=Tom|date=July 6, 2022|access-date=July 6, 2022}} The second single, "Easy on Your Own?", was released on August 10, 2022.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/alvvays-share-new-song-easy-on-your-own-listen/|title=Alvvays Share New Song 'Easy on Your Own?': Listen|publisher=Pitchfork|last=Arcand|first=Rob|date=August 10, 2022|access-date=August 10, 2022}} "Belinda Says" and "Very Online Guy" were released as a double single on September 22, 2022.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/alvvays-share-new-songs-belinda-says-and-very-online-guy-listen/ |title=Alvvays Share Videos for New Songs 'Belinda Says' and 'Very Online Guy': Watch |publisher=Pitchfork |last=Corcoran|first=Nina |date=September 22, 2022 |access-date=September 22, 2022}} The final single, "After the Earthquake", was released on October 5, 2022.

{{Music ratings

| ADM = 8.1/10{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/13448/Alvvays-Blue-Rev.aspx|title=Blue Rev by Alvvays reviews|website=AnyDecentMusic?|access-date=October 7, 2022}}

| MC = 86/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/blue-rev/alvvays|title=Blue Rev by Alvvays Reviews and Tracks|website=Metacritic|access-date=October 7, 2022}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/blue-rev-mw0003742221|title=Alvvays – Blue Rev Album Reviews, Songs & More|last=Sendra|first=Tim|date=October 7, 2022|website=AllMusic|access-date=October 7, 2022}}

| rev2 = And It Don't Stop

| rev2score = A{{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|authorlink=Robert Christgau|date=8 March 2023|url=https://robertchristgau.substack.com/p/consumer-guide-march-2023|title=Consumer Guide: March, 2023|work=And It Don't Stop|publisher=Substack|access-date=25 March 2023|url-access=subscription}}

| rev3 = Clash

| rev3score = 8/10{{cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/alvvays-blue-rev/|title=Alvvays – Blue Rev|last=Savignano|first=Bella|date=October 6, 2022|website=Clash|access-date=October 6, 2022}}

| rev4 = Exclaim!

| rev4score = 9/10{{cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/alvvays_blue_rev_album_review|title=Alvvays Are Unpredictable, Harsh and Better Than Ever on 'Blue Rev'|last=Hudson|first=Alex|date=October 7, 2022|website=Exclaim!|access-date=October 9, 2022}}

| rev5 = NME

| rev5score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/alvvays-blue-rev-review-transgressive-3314417|title=Alvvays – 'Blue Rev' review: a subtle but satisfying expansion|last=Richards|first=Will|date=October 5, 2022|website=NME|access-date=October 6, 2022}}

| rev6 = Paste

| rev6score = 8.4/10{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/alvvays/blue-rev-album-review/|title=Alvvays: 'Blue Rev' Album Review|last=Salman|first=Ben|date=October 4, 2022|website=Paste|access-date=October 6, 2022}}

| rev7 = Pitchfork

| rev7score = 8.8/10{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/alvvays-blue-rev/|title=Alvvays: Blue Rev Album Review|last=Larson|first=Jeremy D.|date=October 7, 2022|website=Pitchfork|access-date=October 7, 2022}}

}}

Blue Rev received widespread acclaim from music critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 86, based on 15 reviews.

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Tim Sendra declared that, "the songs are memorable and fun, the performances are inspired, and the production is varied and always interesting," and that "the result is a heavenly indie pop hit guaranteed to make their already besotted fans fall even more head over heels in love with the band." At NME, Will Richards concluded that the album, "stands as an ode to continuing to evolve despite obstacles, slowly honing and tweaking your craft, and keeping on moving." Ben Salmon of Paste wrote, "These are all top-shelf tunes, and they serve as evidence that Rankin and O'Hanley are among the best pop-song writers working today."

Writing for Pitchfork, Jeremy D. Larson claimed, "Alvvays came out with a record that finally is large enough to contain the band's splendor. Every song on Blue Rev is a feast, done up with effortless élan," alongside the publication awarding the album the "Best New Music" tag. Concluding the review for Clash, Bella Savignano called the album, "a magical, twisty excursion to a crossroads where the band simultaneously reflects on yesteryear and explores the turbulence of divergent realities." In Exclaim!, Alex Hudson stated that compared to its namesake, the album "feels less like a hyperactive buzz and more like the crushing hangover the morning after: chaotic, anxiously over-stimulated, and tinged with regretful melancholy."

Veteran critic Robert Christgau recommended the CD edition over streaming the album because of more clarity from the "shoegaze fuzz" he otherwise perceived, while noticing "how explicitly collegiate [the lyrics] were, situating Molly Rankin both culturally, in her devotion to aesthetic usages less staid than 'the lettered life' she once aspired to, and generationally, as the postgrads who populate her songs negotiate love lives they're seldom ready for".

The album won Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2023{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/junos-2023-opening-night-winners-list-1.6776262|title=The Weeknd picks up 4 wins on Junos 2023 opening night|first1=Jenna|last1=Benchetrit|first2=Arti|last2=Patel|website=CBC News|date=March 11, 2023}} and was shortlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/music/events/polaris/polaris-music-prize-2023-short-list-1.6903778 |title=Here's the 2023 Polaris Music Prize short list |website=CBC Music |date=July 13, 2023}} "Belinda Says" was nominated for Best Alternative Music Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.{{Cite web |title=2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/2024-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list |date=November 10, 2023 |first=Morgan |last=Enos |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=Grammy Awards}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Blue Rev track listing

| all_writing = Molly Rankin and Alec O'Hanley

| title1 = Pharmacist

| length1 = 2:04

| title2 = Easy on Your Own?

| length2 = 2:54

| title3 = After the Earthquake

| length3 = 3:05

| title4 = Tom Verlaine

| length4 = 3:26

| title5 = Pressed

| length5 = 2:09

| title6 = Many Mirrors

| length6 = 2:58

| title7 = Very Online Guy

| length7 = 2:22

| title8 = Velveteen

| length8 = 3:09

| title9 = Tile by Tile

| length9 = 2:58

| title10 = Pomeranian Spinster

| length10 = 3:24

| title11 = Belinda Says

| length11 = 2:45

| title12 = Bored in Bristol

| length12 = 3:00

| title13 = Lottery Noises

| length13 = 3:18

| title14 = Fourth Figure

| length14 = 1:20

| total_length = 38:52

}}

• On all physical releases of the album, "Fourth Figure" is present but not listed on the tracklist.

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Alvvays

• Molly Rankin – vocals, guitar
• Alec O'Hanley – guitar, keyboards, bass
• Kerri MacLellen – keyboards, vocals
• Sheridan Riley – drums
• Abbey Blackwell – bass

Additional musicians

• Chris Dadge – drums
• Moshe Fisher-Rozenberg – drums
• Drew Jurecka – cello, viola
• Joseph Shabason – flute, baritone saxophone
• Phil Hartunian – guitar

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Technical

• Shawn Everett – production, mixing, engineering
• Molly Rankin – production
• Alec O'Hanley – production, mixing, engineering
• Stephen Koszler – additional engineering
• Phil Hotz – additional engineering
• Robbie Lackritz – additional engineering
• Nyles Spencer – additional engineering
• Julian Decorte – additional engineering
• Amy Fort – additional engineering
• Ivan Wayman – additional engineering

Artwork

• Scott Fitzpatrick – design, layout
• Molly Rankin – design, layout
• Alec O'Hanley – design, layout
• Janet Vanzutphen – photograph
• Nora MacLeod – additional work
• Kerri MacLellen – additional work
• ConcernedApe – Video for "Many Mirrors"

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{{Reflist}}

{{Alvvays}}

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Category:2022 albums

Category:Alvvays albums

Category:Polyvinyl Record Co. albums

Category:Transgressive Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Shawn Everett

Category:Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year albums

Category:Shoegaze albums by Canadian artists