PVRIS – Hallucinations (EP Review)

It has been just over two years since we received new material from PVRIS, but fear not! The trio are ready to present five smashing new tracks on the Hallucinations EP, which arrives Friday, October 25, 2019 thanks to Warner Bros. 

Life has not been too shabby for Lowell, Massachusetts’ Electro-Pop Rockers PVRIS. Formed in 2012, the band made their epic debut in 2014 with White Noise. Media attention and a welcoming embrace from a growing legion of fans paved the way for their sophomore effort, All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell, which did wonders for the band. Awards and recognition poured in, allowing the eclectic PVRIS to share stages with everyone from Mayday Parade and States Champs to Pierce the Veil and Sleeping with Sirens, heavyweights Bring Me the Horizon, and Pop-Punk darlings Fall Out Boy.

For Hallucinations, the third EP from the much-loved PVRIS—Multi-Instrumentalists Lynn Gunn, Alex Babinski, and Brian MacDonald—the trio present five brand new tracks that explore a more EDM-heavy sound. Pairing Gunn’s always sincere and confessional lyrics with an endless variety of textures, the collection maintains the spirit of PVRIS but infuses their lush Pop-dusted melodies with a heavier electronic backbone, expanding their already diverse sound profile. The end result is danceable, delicious, and infectious, the perfect soundtrack to your next party.

It all begins with sweet temptations thrumming inside the heart of a solo dancer on “Hallucinations,” the EP’s infectious, fully Pop-licious namesake. Be sure to check out the song’s artful but bizarre music video! They follow this up with the clap-along beats of “Nightmare,” a made for mass consumption dance-a-thon with thick EDM dustings and gritty, grungy guitars. Then, they go darker for the sultry, fat bass of the danceable “Death of Me,” guaranteed to spark some fiery remixes.

For those that prefer the less club-ready side of PVRIS’ personality, they have a pair of tracks perfectly suited to your tastes. Highlighting Gunn’s beautifully angelic vocals, “Things Are Better” goes for lofty intimacy with a fairly minimalistic presentation of vocals, atmospherics and keys. Not named for the fabulous NJ Metal band of the same name, “Old Wounds” continues the ethereal electronic atmospherics of its predecessor before settling into a bass and drum anchored rocker that reflects on a relationship in crisis.

All said, Hallucinations presents a myriad of facets to PVRIS’ sonic identity in a succinct collection that leans heavily towards Pop-sensibilities paired with an EDM backbone and Rock-n-Roll guitars. Obliterating genre in five songs, PVRIS make music that is honest, intelligent, but so wonderfully catchy that it makes each day a little bit brighter—and that’s why is it so damn easy to love them! For this, Cryptic Rock give the Hallucinations EP 5 of 5 stars.

Purchase Hallucinations:

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