In this episode, John links up with Lauren, Iain and Martin of CHVRCHES to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Screen Violence’.

Largely working remotely from different parts of the world, the trio look back on how they adapted their writing process, discussing how the effects of the pandemic ended up shaping some of the themes and meanings within the album.

Sharing some of their day one demos, we hear stories of forming entire songs around single elements, combining and blending vintage gear with modern recording techniques, and using creative production tricks to respond to and reinforce certain lyrics.

Listen to find how powerful hidden live drums on an electronic beat can be, why you should always keep your day one demo in a session, and how to react when Robert Smith emails you saying “what do you want?”