Lauren Mayberry of Chvrches strikes out on her own

The first time I heard Chvrches' The Bones of What You Believe I was astonished by what the group could do on their debut album. They sounded as if they'd honed their craft by playing European club shows for a decade. The songs were super tight and almost literally bursting with a 1980s feel forced through a time machine.

One of the features that set Chvrches apart from their peers, however, was Mayberry's versatile soprano that she can use to emote pure sadness, anger, and joy, sometimes all at the same moment. She has co-written most of Chvrches tracks and plays percussion as well. She's more than just a singer in a band.

But beginning this fall, Mayberry will do something she hasn't truly done with as much vigor. That is she is touring North America and Europe as a solo act. Mayberry announced on Instagram this week that is "excited," "terrified," and "bewildered" to be striking out on her own for a short bit.

Lauren Mayberry of Chvrches announces solo tour and new solo album

Mayberry also stated that she has been working on some solo music and that she "will be able to start sharing it soon." We can't be too sure what Mayberry's music will sound like, of course, but one wonders how far she may stray, if any, from the sound of her band. It's not because she isn't fearless - Mayberry has proven during her non-music work, such as being a patron for Rape Crisis Glasgow, and being involved with Wild Aid and Water Aid that she isn't afraid to put her time into causes she is passionate about - but sometimes musical artists want to separate themselves a bit from the sound of their long-time band. We will see if this happens with Mayberry.

There were a few comments from fans in her Instagram post asking if Chvrches was over. Mayberry, however, specifically says in the post "the CHVRCHES story has many more pages yet to be written." So, no. It sounds like Chvrches will still continue at some point, and that's a great thing for humankind.

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