Lauren Mayberry, the lead singer of indie artist CHVRCHES, has recently released her new solo single, Are You Awake—Mayberry’s process of producing the new single dates back to December of last year. However, along with her band, Mayberry has also celebrated a milestone regarding the band’s musical journey. In a recently posted article on MXDWN, Mayberry and the other members of CHVRCHES have announced a tenth anniversary relating to the release of their 2013 album, “The Bones of What You Believe.”

Now, weeks after the anniversary, Mayberry has continued to surprise her fans with a newly-released single titled, Are You Awake.

In consideration of the song’s meaning, the lead singer says:

 “‘Are You Awake?’ is a song that started on a rainy day last December with Tobias Jesso Jr. I was thinking a lot about loneliness and homesickness, and as soon as Tobias started playing the chords, the lyrics and melody came to me really quickly. I finished the song with my friend Matthew Koma, who really understood what I was trying to say.” 

Mayberry’s efforts to include the themes of loneliness and homesickness are evident in her newly-released single. In the first few seconds, a piano plays a mellow tone overshadowed by the singer’s soft voice.

There is a stark contrast between her discography as a member of CHVRCHES and her discography in her new single, Are You Awake. 

According to cowriters Tobias Jesso Jr and Matthew Coma in their article for the Consequence Sound, Mayberry shared: “

Are You Awake?” was a “happy accident” and fittingly came together on “a grey, rainy afternoon in December” when she was feeling “pretty homesick and missing everyone.” 

Mayberry examines the thought of a past lover and heartbreak, constantly treading across her world as though she would never know or see her lover again.

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat