CHVRCHES’ “Screen Violence.”

The pandemic forced so many of us live our day-to-day lives through screens. From the TV to cell phone and laptop, screens defined the digital isolation. So too did that mindset define the creation of the latest release from Scottish synth-pop trio Chvrches, Screen Violence, the fourth record by the band.

The album, the band’s first since 2018’s Love Is Dead, should sound familiar to fans of the band, but there is added growth and maturity for Lauren Mayberry, Martin Doherty and Iain Cook in just about every way. This includes the songwriting, production and performance. Screen Violence also channels the urgency and immediacy that recalls the trio’s earliest works.

There’s also quite a bit of material to dig into; three of the album’s 10 tracks clock in at more than 5 minutes. The opening track, “Asking For A Friend,” goes on a musical and lyrical journey of resiliency and bouncing back. “I don’t want to say that I’m afraid to die/ I’m no good at goodbyes/ I can’t apologize,” vocalist Lauren Mayberry sings over the starkly simple opening synth notes. The song slowly builds until it eventually becomes a synth-pop soundscape with Mayberry repeating, “You still matter.” It’s an electric and uplifting spark out of the gate.

By now, most fans have heard the anthemic, “He Said, She Said,” an outcry against the double standards and gaslighting of an abusive relationship. “He said you need to be fed/ But keep an eye on your waistline and/ Look good but don’t be obsessed,” Mayberry sings before she proclaims, “I feel like I’m losing my mind over and over.” The track is the shortest on the album, yet also manages to pack some of the most immediate lyrical punch.

“California” provides an upbeat and infectious chorus with an introspective message about overcoming a fear of failure. “God bless this mess that we made for ourselves/ Pull me into the screen at the end,” Mayberry sings.

The band has added plenty of bells and whistles to its sound over the years, mixing in live instruments and percussion along with its signature synths. “Violent Delights” is a percussive and rhythmic mid-tempo track that rises and falls from verse to chorus. It features a vocal contribution from Doherty, who doesn’t sing often. The heavy percussion sticks around for the driving “How Not To Drown,” which features vocals by The Cure’s Robert Smith. Smith and Mayberry play off each other well on the dramatic and melodic track.

The straightforward and cinematic “Final Girl” actually trades in the heavy synths and loops for a more traditional analog instrumentation. Mayberry sings of self-doubt and dealing with outside pressures while CHVRCHES once again double down on musical urgency. The synths come back strong on the empowering “Good Girls,” about standing up for oneself.

“Lullabies” is a bouncy mid-tempo track about the loneliness of isolation, calling back to the album’s overarching theme. The dynamic “Nightmares” begins as a dark and brooding ballad before exploding into a soundscape of synths and percussive loops.

The album concludes with “Better If You Don’t,” a complete departure from the rest of the album—at least to start. It opens with Mayberry singing over a clean guitar riff before the beat kicks in midway through, building into a breezy indie pop jam that provides the perfect exit ramp for the album. Fans of Chvrches will find a good balance of familiar and new on Screen Violence, a solid effort for a band that continually delivers reliably great material.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.