CHVRCHES’ Martin Doherty Finds Catharsis in The Leaving
The narrative of the side project is often one of escape—a temporary creative vacation from the main act. But for Martin Doherty of CHVRCHES, The Leaving, his new collaboration with longtime band drummer Jonny Scott, feels far more like an absolute necessity. Born from a period of profound personal upheaval and grief, this venture is less a detour and more a dramatic, necessary re-routing of the creative self.
The new project is explicitly marketed as Doherty’s "most vulnerable work to date," an unfiltered body of music forged in the fallout of emotional trauma and rebuilt through the kinetic, instinctive chemistry he shares with Scott. By stepping into the creative foreground—Scott’s elevated role marking a significant shift from his work within the CHVRCHES machinery—The Leaving signals a bold sonic departure rooted in catharsis and reinvention.
Their first single, “Saved,” is an industrial rock debut released via Avenue A Records / Futures ✦, and it is not subtle. It’s an immediate, chilling plunge into the psychological dark, anchored by the haunting, paradoxical opening lyric: "What begins with a tragedy. Can be recovered in time. Made a friend of an enemy of mine."
The track’s accompanying statement is a rare, raw glimpse into the abyss of mental collapse, detailing the spiraling anxiety of paranoia, hypochondria, and agoraphobia. The band speaks of "Machiavellian behaviors" from people close to you, subtly pressing buttons to make you "question your sanity," then stepping back to "watch as you burst into (metaphorical) flames." The final, devastating question—“But is it all in your head?”—is the ultimate moral ambiguity of the record. It doesn't offer answers; it offers the dizzying, terrifying uncertainty of a mind on the edge.
“Saved” is a testament to the fact that genuine artistic electricity often requires a destructive event. The Leaving is not Doherty’s gentle acoustic reflection; it is the sound of necessary wreckage, of taking the high-gloss synth-pop precision of his past and grinding it into something sharp, vulnerable, and dangerous. It is the sound of an artist choosing to rebuild from the inside out, using the noise of industrial rock as the scaffolding for recovery.
