OK, maybe it was just a phase, because this new PVRIS song kind of feels like an emo kid transitioning into a Tumblr aesthetic queen.
After graduating from Rise Records (home to artists like Dance Gavin Dance and Of Mice and Men) and moving on to a Reprise/Warner Music deal (Green Day, My Chemical Romance), the alt-pop trio PVRIS might just be moving on from their emo phase.
Sure, the whole point of signing to a major label is to be a major label artist, and sometimes that does mean change.
But, whereas albums like Dookie and Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge presented a polished version of a signature sound, this new PVRIS single feels a little too… sterile.
When PVRIS hit the scene in 2014, songs like “St. Patrick” were a breath of fresh air. Gothic, twinkling pop songs with just the right amount of drive to be danceable, and not depressing, PVRIS felt like a band to watch. And certainly, they were. They were good enough to catch the attention of a major label, after all.
But “Death of Me” isn’t exactly the major-label debut we were hoping for. While aesthetically, the video maintains the same sort of dark, gothic imagery that PVRIS has come to be known for, musically, this song could be anyone’s.
“Death of Me,” is, in a word, generic. It’s not a song that’s going to excite fans at a concert, and it’s not the kind of song that’s going to get people interested in the band that is PVRIS. Where songs like “St. Patrick” or even “What’s Wrong” mix gothic motifs with pop hooks to give us something interesting, “Death of Me” relies a little too heavily on its music video to be interesting, which obviously does not translate to a listening experience.
Vocalist Lynn Gunn is known for her absolute powerhouse vocals, something that feels like was ignored in this song. Even with the vocal problems she has faced in the past year, Gunn can still deliver big songs, but “Death of Me” just isn’t one of them.
As always, it’s impossible to judge an upcoming release off of one single, but we sincerely hope that PVRIS hasn’t been completely rebranded in their transition from rise to reprise. We liked them just the way they were.
Featured Image: Warner Records
