Grammy-nominated Alvvays brings indie tunes to the Knit

The distinct indie stylings of Canadian band Alvvays (pronounced “always”) have garnered the group international attention for over a decade, but of their three albums released thus far, the latest may just be their most creative and honest yet.

Five years after the release of their second album “Antisocialites,” Alvvays released their third full-length record “Blue Rev” in late 2022.

The album continues the alternative, perhaps psychedelic sounds that Alvvays has become known for, but “Blue Rev” doubles down on the light vocals matched by resonant instrumentals, distorted guitars paired with ethereal synths and nostalgic yet stark feelings.

For the band’s lead singer and melody guitarist Molly Rankin, much of Blue Rev was unintentional and, lyrically, was very different from much of what she had written in the past.

Many of the ideas behind the album were completely spontaneous for Rankin; within her day-to-day life “a certain energy” would simply appear and she would chase it until wrangled into enough creative submission to form a song – or at least the base foundations of one.

Blue Rev also took Rankin into an introspective leftfield of sorts, one primarily deriving from her youth in far northeast Canada.

“This was probably one of the first times that I ever really wrote anything about my own life,” Rankin said. “Some of the weird observational phrasings and random cultural references are from the place I grew up and weaving that into the lyrics was really fun for me.”

Sonically, the record manages to capture the sheer energy that Alvvays plays with live.

The band’s previous albums’ shoegaze tones and “abrasive” sounds aren’t as present and in the listener’s face as on “Blue Rev.”

The 11th of 14 tracks on the record, “Belinda Says,” gave Alvvays their first Grammy consideration in the form of a 2024 nomination for “Best Alternative Music Performance.”

“It’s pretty surreal because I don’t think that we would be really considered that type of artist; we don’t really belong there,” Rankin said, adding with a laugh: “It was fun to show up and take it all in … we just got to put on some cool pants and walk around for a few hours!”

Another recent accomplishment for the band was the 10-year anniversary of their debut self-titled record, the same one featuring early favorites such as “Adult Diversion” and “Archie, Marry Me.”

At the time, Alvvays hardly even knew they were a band and acted more like a few friends who simply enjoyed the art of making music together. Their instruments may not have been the most expensive, trial and error may have been pervading, but it was an experience that would shape the course of the group forever.

A decade later, Rankin can reflect on those processes and the growth she has found as an artist, but ultimately much is still the same for Alvvays and the way they approach the creative process.

“We treated it like it was the only time we’d ever get to make an album, and we continue to do that every record,” Rankin said. “I feel the same about making ‘Blue Rev’; everything is our last try at making a record. And maybe that’s why we take so much time and mess around with it for so long, but even this album is no different in that regard.”

The band has been extensively touring in support of Blue Rev with their current run of West Coast shows taking them to the Knitting Factory on Wednesday. And although the band is looking forward to a break, Rankin is constantly working on concepts for new material and is looking forward to rekindling her love for writing music.

“Once we have enough ideas, then we’ll look to make something a little more concrete,” Rankin said.