The Glasgow trio’s second single from All The King’s Men turns inward on a deeply personal ballad, with the band’s first album in six years scheduled for release on 22 January 2027.
CHVRCHES have released ‘Overthinker’, the second single from their forthcoming album All The King’s Men, due 22 January 2027 through Futures ✦ Music Group. The emotionally direct track explores the contradictions of a complicated family relationship and has been named BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record.
The release followed an intimate charity performance by Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty for just 100 fans at Assumption Studios in Glasgow, the converted church where the trio recorded the new album.
‘Overthinker’ takes a different lyrical direction from ‘Roses’, the first single from All The King’s Men. Where ‘Roses’ confronted broader social and political themes, the new song examines the emotional complexity of loving someone whose behaviour can be both comforting and difficult to endure.
Mayberry captures that tension in the description of a person who can be both “shelter and storm”. The song considers the strain of living close to someone whose depression or dissatisfaction affects the relationship, while also acknowledging the concern and familiarity that can make those connections difficult to navigate.
The lyric “You ask after my friends, if I’m getting thinner, not sure how you raised such a chronic overthinker” gives the song its emotional centre. Set against driving synths and shimmering melodic hooks, the words retain the accessibility that has long distinguished CHVRCHES while allowing Mayberry’s writing to carry a more intimate weight.
The result is a song that moves beyond straightforward relationship commentary. ‘Overthinker’ considers the contradictions that can exist within families, where care, frustration, obligation and affection are often inseparable.
All The King’s Men is CHVRCHES’ first studio album since Screen Violence, released in 2021. After completing the touring cycle for that record in 2023, the three members agreed that their next project needed to challenge their established approach rather than repeat it.
The resulting 11-track album has been described by the band as a freewheeling collection of emotionally vivid indie rock with a distinctly British sensibility. Its musical and lyrical direction reflects three musicians deliberately moving outside familiar territory.
Doherty spent considerable time returning to Scotland to be with his mother, while immersing himself in the work of British filmmakers Shane Meadows and Ken Loach. Musically, he explored the work of Massive Attack, Siouxsie and the Banshees and PJ Harvey.
Mayberry concentrated on developing her lyric writing and extending her vocal range following extensive session work. Cook, who remained based in Glasgow, moved away from an electronics-led approach and towards acoustic instruments, drawing inspiration from Nick Drake, Bert Jansch and the Incredible String Band.
The change extended to the way the album was made. Rather than relying on the more remote collaboration that shaped Screen Violence, the trio worked together in intensive three-week periods in Glasgow. Being in the same room, back in Scotland, became central to their effort to find a different creative direction.
That process is reflected in the contrast between the album’s songs. ‘Adore You’ draws on a playful, 1990s-leaning pop-rock sensibility, while ‘Comedown Tomorrow’ explores a more expansive sense of loneliness. Together with ‘Roses’ and ‘Overthinker’, the tracks suggest a record willing to move between outward-facing commentary and personal reflection.
‘Roses’ established the album’s more confrontational side, closing with the line, “If I may command your undivided attention, now we can start.”
‘Overthinker’ shifts the emphasis from the public sphere to private relationships without abandoning the band’s interest in emotional tension. Its combination of direct lyrics, electronic momentum and melodic lift gives CHVRCHES room to explore a more vulnerable subject without losing the qualities that define their sound.
For Mayberry, Cook and Doherty, the album represents a reassessment of how they work together as a group and approach their individual contributions. The decision to return to Glasgow, embrace acoustic influences and write in person has given the project a different foundation from its predecessor.
All The King’s Men will be released on 22 January 2027 on LP, CD, cassette and digital formats. With ‘Roses’ and ‘Overthinker’ establishing two distinct sides of the record, the album will reveal how far CHVRCHES have taken their creative reset.
CHVRCHES – All The King’s Men Tracklisting
Release date: 22 January 2027
Roses
Evil
Adore You
Overthinker
Royal Blue
Comedown Tomorrow
Friend Of A Friend
Three Out Of Five
Conman
Jamie’s Prayer
Faith In Flying
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