CHVRCHES Return With “Roses” and Something Sharper

Five years after Screen Violence, CHVRCHES return with a darker, more guitar-led sound and a song that turns its attention towards contemporary Britain.

CHVRCHES have been away long enough for the world around them to change. Now they’ve returned with a song that doesn’t seem particularly interested in pretending otherwise.

“Roses” is the Glasgow trio’s first new music since 2023’s “Over”, and their first single since the release of their 2021 album Screen Violence.

The synths are still central, but “Roses” gives more space to guitars and live drums than the band’s earlier work. There’s a greater sense of movement between the electronic and rock elements, while Lauren Mayberry’s vocal sits firmly at the front of it, delivering the song with a directness that suits its subject matter.

That change appears to be deliberate. Mayberry, Martin Doherty and Iain Cook have described the period since Screen Violence as their longest break between albums. When they eventually came back together to write, they wanted to push themselves rather than repeat territory they’d already covered. Mayberry calls the resulting work “the most coherent vision” they’ve had as a band.

“Roses” gives us the first real indication of what that means.

The song turns its attention towards Britain, drawing on ideas around class, power, monarchy and the country’s historical relationship with violence and privilege. It also works “Ring a Ring o’ Roses” into the song, taking a piece of familiar nursery-rhyme language and putting it somewhere considerably less innocent.

It’s a striking shift from the more immediate synth-pop rush associated with some of CHVRCHES’ biggest songs. The melody is still there, but “Roses” has more weight around it. The band’s electronic instincts haven’t disappeared; they’re sitting alongside guitars, live drums and a considerably more confrontational vocal performance.

The timing also reflects what the three members have been doing separately. Mayberry released her solo album Vicious Creature in 2024, while Doherty formed The Leaving with touring drummer Jonny Scott. Iain Cook has also worked on music outside CHVRCHES.

The band quietly tested the waters earlier this year, returning to the stage at Robert Smith’s Teenage Cancer Trust concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in March. They played “Conman”, another previously unheard song from the new material.

Now “Roses” opens the door properly.

CHVRCHES have also announced two intimate, secret shows to mark their return: Glasgow on 26 October and London on 29 October, with proceeds going to charity.

The band are working towards their fifth studio album, but for now “Roses” is the only piece of it we’ve been given.

And it’s an intriguing one.

CHVRCHES haven’t abandoned what made them CHVRCHES. They’ve just stopped treating it as a set of rules.