Lauren Mayberry Channels the ’90s on Single ‘Something in the Air’

Chvrches frontwoman Lauren Mayberry has shared a new solo single, “Something in the Air.” The musician previewed the anthemic track live last month before debuting it last night on BBC Radio 1.

The pop-rock number sees Mayberry crooning, “You come up with your stories/ conspiracy theories of why we’re all here/ oh, I just want to be someone/ someone who’s happy/ but why do you even care?”

“’Something in the Air’ is a song that really came out of nowhere,” Mayberry explained in a statement. “I was in London finishing another song with my friend, co-writer and producer Dan McDougall. We were taking a break in the shared kitchen in the studio complex when a pretty iconic British musician, who I won’t throw under the bus here, came in and started making conversation about electricity, 5G, and how it’s making us all sick. Dan and I went for a walk around the block before going back to the studio and were unpacking those theories, and why people want to believe them – and the chorus lyric just appeared.”

“Something in the Air” will appear on Mayberry’s forthcoming debut solo LP, Vicious Creature, out later this year. A press release notes that Mayberry was inspired by ’90s icons like Tori Amos, PJ Harvey, and Kathleen Hanna, as well as ’90s girl groups like All Saints and Sugababes, when making the album.

The song follows on the heels of singles “Change Shapes,” “Shame,” and “Are You Awake?,” which will also appear on Vicious Creature. Mayberry announced she would be stepping away from Chvrches to pursue a solo career last summer.

“There would be lyrics or concepts that I had come up with over the last couple of years and then thought that I couldn’t do in a Chvrches song,” she told NME in an interview. “These are things that I just need to say from my point of view. Obviously I’m the narrator in Chvrches, but you’re still speaking on behalf of a group.”