The return of Alvvays after a five-year hiatus feels like an explosion. Taking in the genres of shoegaze, synth-pop, and 80s balladry, Blue Rev is bursting at the seams with heartbreaking sadness and messy joy.

“Paradise, and I find myself paralyzed,” lead singer Molly Rankin states on the standout “Belinda Says,” a song about the many crossroads we find ourselves facing. “But I’ll find my way,” she concludes, gunning for hope. Rankin sings and sounds like she’s in a hurricane of feeling with her sharpest writing to date, and the band is all the better for it.

— Read our interview with Alvvays —