Does Lauren Mayberry – ‘Vicious Creature’ album set her up for a Glastonbury appearance? Album review

After a decade leading the Scottish synth-pop trio Chvrches, Lauren Mayberry embarks on a journey as a solo artist, redefining her musical identity.

When Lauren Mayberry revealed her solo venture last year, it was clear she had some personal and professional baggage to unpack. As the voice of Chvrches, she spent 10 years navigating the dual challenge of being a frontwoman in a male-dominated industry while confronting its deeply ingrained misogyny. Reflecting on her experience, Mayberry described the isolating reality of “being the only girl and the only woman in so many bands,” a role that forced her to suppress much of herself. “I internalized a lot of things, and it’s strange to start unravelling some of that,” she recently shared.

With ‘Vicious Creature’, Mayberry creates a space to confront these suppressed feelings. Freed from the confines of Chvrches’ electronic framework, she delves into a diverse emotional and sonic landscape, uncovering new dimensions of her artistry.

The album bursts into life with the anthemic ‘Something In The Air’, a bold and fiery opener inspired by a disconcerting encounter with a conspiracy-peddling British musician. Its urgency sets the tone for a record brimming with personal catharsis. The retro-infused ‘Crocodile Tears’ takes a playful detour into funky, New Romantic territory, with sharp, witty lines like: “Maybe I’m a villain, but I find it kind of thrilling when you cry.” On the darker ‘Mantra’, Mayberry crafts a hypnotic experience, her repeated “I want, I want, I want it” drawing listeners into its shadowy depths.

Will Lauren Mayberry, formerly of Chvrches, make at appearance at Glastonbury 2025?

Moments of tenderness punctuate the album, offering glimpses of vulnerability rarely seen in her work with Chvrches. The introspective piano ballad ‘Are You Awake’ and the deeply personal ‘Oh, Mother’ strip back the layers to reveal an artist embracing her softer side. These tracks contrast sharply with the propulsive energy of Chvrches’ last album, ‘Screen Violence’ (2021), and reflect Mayberry’s willingness to experiment.

The album is heavy on familiar late-2010s pop influences, while ending on “Are you awake” is too easy a joke. But i’m going to bite. I was. Just.

This sense of experimentation, however, is part of what makes Mayberry’s solo debut compelling.

Our prediction: See her at the Park at Glastonbury 2025.

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