PVRIS – Evergreen

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Coming off of the rocket-fueled success of 2020’s bulletproof album, Use Me, PVRIS (the solo project of Lynn Gunn) returns with her latest effort, Evergreen. On her fourth studio album, Gunn again collaborated with co-producer JT Daly, as well as introduced some new blood, with Carrie Karpinen. Gunn described Evergreen as “a reclamation of control in our post-pandemic culture, posing a complex discussion on fame, technology, spectacle, and female autonomy,” and her laser-focused approach to her songwriting pays off in eleven songs dripping in purpose. The set has already spawned five singles, with the lead one being the dual-attack of “Animal / Anywhere But Here,” that was released last October. With the majority of the tracks clocking in under the three-minute mark, PVRIS delivers an accessible, albeit condensed version of her songwriting prowess. Having teased these songs that became Evergreen for so long, it must feel refreshing for this artist to finally unleash the full picture onto the world now.

”I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore” leads the pack of songs with a frenetic beat, paired with great production, all packaged in a memorable way. Gunn explains on the first verse, “Tell me can you feel a break down? / Does the pressure ever phase out? / I don’t ever wanna find out / What happens if we never slow down? / Is this just a phase? / Phase from the tension? / And there’s no name to a face / To face consequences,” and she sounds as pissed off as she is centered in her vocal attack. “Good Enemy” rocks along with pointed purpose as she explains her state of mind, and being her own worst enemy. “Goddess” sounds like a logical progression to the sound that PVRIS explored on Use Me, with a pointed response to the lyric of “Is she a wo- or a man?” by announcing, “I’m a mother fucking brand.” Her confidence is contagious in the early going of Evergreen.

”Animal” features some abrasive synths in the beginning that cut through the mix like a buzzsaw, while PVRIS provides a smoother vocal performance to showcase a nice contrast between the two sounds. Tracks like this work well within the synth-pop genre, and it feels authentic to what this artist has accomplished so far, while still adding some new flavor to the variety of music being put out. “Hype Zombies” has a similar sound to “Animal,” with its more heavy bass-driven synths, and yet PVRIS avoids it getting lost in the shuffle of the tracklisting by adding in a memorable chorus.

”Take My Nirvana” is one of my favorites on Evergreen since it has a catchy, 80’s boy band beat paired with some great, syrupy-thick synths, mixed with Gunn’s empowering vocals. The chorus of, “I don’t have time for your drama / Follow me around like piranhas / You’re acting like you don’t, but you wanna / Take my nirvana,” highlights an artist knowing that the game is changing around her, yet she provides a wide arsenal of weapons to fight back. Other mid-tempo rockers like “Senti-Mental” point more of the focus on Gunn’s vocal delivery, which is top-notch on songs like this.

The back half features a bit more atmospheric, slow-burn songs like, “Anywhere But Here,” that does a nice job of breaking up the heavy-hitting dance synths from the front-side to allow the audience to take a bit of a breather, and get swept away by Gunn’s dreamscape vocals. “Headlights” and “Love is A…” are similar in their delivery, and it’s a bit of a curious choice to have them fit in the tracklisting in this way. The title track brings a little bit more context to the two sides of the coin, and offers a solid closing statement to the album. Gunn’s vocals really are top notch on the closer, and leaves the listener in awe of her ability to tell a captivating story through her music and lyrics.

Evergreen seems a tad conflicted in its delivery with most of the sped-up songs in the beginning, while allowing for more introspection on the back half of the record. However, by creating a more accessible approach to her songwriting, PVRIS has truly crafted an “evergreen” collection of songs that will hold up over time.

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