"Pharmacist"
Single by Alvvays
from the album Blue Rev
ReleasedJuly 6, 2022
Genre
Length2:04
Label
Songwriter(s)Alvvays
Producer(s)Shawn Everett
Alvvays singles chronology
"Plimsoll Punks"
(2017)		 "Pharmacist"
(2022)		 "Easy On Your Own?"
(2022)

"Pharmacist" is a single by Canadian indie pop band Alvvays, released on July 6, 2022 via Polyvinyl. The song is the first single from the band's 2022 album, Blue Rev.[1] The single is the band's first release since 2017's Antisocialites.[2] "Pharmacist" is the opener track to Blue Rev.

Composition and lyrics

"Pharmacist" is an indie pop,[3][4] shoegaze,[5][6][7] bedroom pop[4] and noise pop[8] song. The song ends with a guitar solo,[3] which NME described as "extravagant" and "ripping".[9] The track was compared to My Bloody Valentine's guitar-heavy shoegaze album, Loveless.[4][7] Lead vocalist Molly Rankin's vocals are low in the mix in comparison to the instrumental.[10][11]

The song's lyrics tell the story of unexpectedly meeting someone at a pharmacy.[3] NPR wrote the lyrics are "short and memorable, but don't necessarily portray any one narrative".[3] Loud and Quiet described the "vivid details" of the lyrics as creating a "beguiling short story".[12]

Critical reception

Quinn Moreland of Pitchfork gave the song their "Best New Music" accolade.[4] Moreland wrote, "[the song] is overblown in all the right ways, with all the meticulously layered noise growing into a thicket around [Molly] Rankin’s tender nostalgia".[4] Stereogum staff ranked the song first in their "The 5 Best Songs Of The Week" list for the week of July 8, 2022.[10] They wrote, the song "sounds less like one of the their fully-formed indie-pop songs and more like an appetizer for the album".[10] BrooklynVegan described the song as a "big-sounding first taste of the album".[13]

Paste wrote on the track, the band "[makes] clear their intention to rough things up a bit".[14] Clash described the track as "an expansive opener, with snarling guitars that meld into empyreal enchantment".[15] NME compared the track to previous Alvvays works; they said Molly Rankin's vocals have a newfound clarity and Alec O’Hanley’s guitars "swirl with more vengeance and energy than before".[9] BeatsPerMinute called the track a contender for song of the year.[7] They wrote, the track's "distortion and dreaminess is amped up from Antisocialites".[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Alvvays Announce New Album 'Blue Rev': Hear "Pharmacist"". Stereogum. July 6, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  2. ↑ Onanian, Nora (July 25, 2022). "Pick of the Week: Alvvays 'Pharmacist'". WERS. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Hernandez-Simeonidis, Sofie (July 7, 2022). "Alvvays, 'Pharmacist'". NPR. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Moreland, Quinn. "Alvvays: "Pharmacist"". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Album Review: Alvvays - Blue Rev | Gigwise". www.gigwise.com. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  6. ↑ Anderson, Carys (July 6, 2022). "Alvvays announce new album Blue Rev, share "Pharmacist": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Sentz, Tim (October 7, 2022). "Album Review: Alvvays – Blue Rev | Beats Per Minute". beatsperminute.com. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Alvvays Are Unpredictable, Harsh and Better Than Ever on 'Blue Rev' | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Richards, Will (October 5, 2022). "Alvvays – 'Blue Rev' review: a subtle but satisfying expansion". NME. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 "The 5 Best Songs Of The Week". Stereogum. July 8, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Alvvays Rough Up Their Perfect Pop Songs on Blue Rev". pastemagazine.com. October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Alvvays - Blue Rev - Album Review". Loud And Quiet. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  13. ↑ Pearis, Bill (July 6, 2022). "Alvvays announce new LP 'Blue Rev,' share "Pharmacist"". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Alvvays Rough Up Their Perfect Pop Songs on Blue Rev". pastemagazine.com. October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  15. ↑ ClashMusic Staff (October 6, 2022). "Alvvays - Blue Rev | Reviews". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
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