Chvrches Share Insights on the ‘Tell Me Lies’ Finale and What’s Next for Their Upcoming Album

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Acclaimed synth-pop trio Chvrches has made a notable comeback after an extended hiatus, showcasing a fresh interpretation of The Postal Service’s classic “Such Great Heights.” The cover features prominently in the third season finale of the psychological drama *Tell Me Lies* (Hulu/Disney+), effectively concluding the show’s emotional narrative.

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Chvrches, consisting of singer Lauren Mayberry and multi-instrumentalists Iain Cook and Martin Doherty, contributed significantly to *Tell Me Lies*, having also performed Robert Palmer’s “Addicted To Love” for the season’s premiere. In an exclusive interview with *Billboard U.K.*, Mayberry expressed the band’s deep appreciation for the show and their eagerness to participate.

“It was such a treat to get to make music for the season premiere and the season finale of this show,” said Mayberry. “Bookending the insanity and the heartbreak of the season three arc was an honour. ‘Such Great Heights’ is basically a perfect song so we were excited and terrified to cover it in equal measure. The Postal Service is such a special band and their music means a lot to us.”

Prior to the finale, showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer confirmed that this would mark the conclusion of the series with its third season. “This was always the ending my writing team and I had in mind, and we are insanely proud of it,” she wrote on her Instagram.

Mayberry shares a unique affiliation with The Postal Service, having previously opened for them during their co-headlining tour with Death Cab for Cutie in North America in 2023. She described her experiences in a street interview last summer, where she shared her excitement at watching them perform each night.

Chvrches last released a full-length album, *Screen Violence*, in 2021, which achieved a peak position of No. 4 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. In the interview with *Billboard U.K.*, Mayberry indicated that new material is on the horizon, characterized by a “fun and ferocity that feels new” for the band. They are also slated to perform again next month, on March 27, as the opening act for pioneering shoegaze band My Bloody Valentine at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Mayberry discussed her passion for *Tell Me Lies*, the creative process behind covering “Such Great Heights,” and what’s next for Chvrches.

How did the opportunity to record this song come about?

“A friend of mine [Liz Elverenli] joined the show as a writer for season three. One day out of the blue, she texted me from the set asking if we would be interested in doing some music for the season premiere. Apparently they were talking on set about cover songs and artists that would potentially connect with the viewing demographic and when our name came up, she was like, ‘I know [Lauren]! She loves the show!’”

“She put me in touch with Meaghan Oppenheimer, the showrunner, and we talked on the phone about what they were looking for and it all grew from there. I had to try hard not to fangirl Meaghan too hard – it’s crazy to me that such a lovely, warm person can write such a twisted, demented show. A woman of layers.”

Why do you feel that this song and your cover suited the show and these closing scenes?

“I think having a genuine love for the show put me in a good position to know what I would want the payoff of that final scene to feel like, from a fan’s perspective. For a show that is so full of twists, they did somehow still manage to save some doozies for the last episode.”

“As much as she makes some very ill-advised decisions, I do have a lot of empathy for Lucy and why she acts the way she does. I think this season really shows the longer-term damage that is done by those kinds of relationships – at any age, but especially when someone is so young. The fact the college sections are set in 2008 and 2009 feels poignant to me. I was at university at that time too, and there was no dialogue around ‘toxic’ relationships in the way there is now. I was thinking about that and trying to bring that personal experience to my delivery when we recorded. I always liked the balance of joy and melancholy in The Postal Service’s music.”

What are your earliest memories of hearing The Postal Service?

“My bandmate at the time lent me his copy of *Give Up* as an example of good girl-boy vocal sharing for us to try and emulate, and I fell in love with the album. I loved basically everything in Jenny [Lewis] and Ben [Gibbard]’s individual cinematic universes, so them combined was a no-brainer. One of the first U.S. festivals Chvrches played was Sasquatch [in George, Washington] in 2013. The Postal Service were playing as part of the ten-year anniversary of the record, and it felt like every other band on the lineup stayed to watch. We toured with Death Cab [For Cutie] a couple of years after that, and then I did some solo shows opening on the *Transatlanticism / Give Up* 20th anniversary tour, so there is quite a lot of overlap between our musical worlds, and it felt poignant to get to do a version of this song.”

“I did email Ben about it to make sure they wouldn’t find it weird and so that he didn’t think we were being creepy. He was characteristically lovely about it, of course.”

Why did you fall in love with The Postal Service and their music?

“Ben and Jenny are probably two of my favourite lyricists of all time. I just love how they tell stories. There’s such lore and romance to how the record was made too. It’s really inspiring to see musicians try new things and step outside of what they are already known for. That kind of freedom and fearlessness when it comes to creativity is something I am really drawn to, but probably too chickensh–t to try. Bring back supergroups, man. We need more Boygeniuses!”

How do you bring a song into your world when you’re recording a cover?

“It’s always a challenge to find the balance of keeping certain aspects of the original that feel essential to the DNA of the song, and trying to bring your own sauce to it. ‘Such Great Heights’ is basically a perfect pop song, and I don’t know how one would ever top that, so we just tried to be respectful and faithful to it. I like to sit with the lyrics when we’re doing a cover and think about what story they’re telling and what they mean to me. Sometimes you can know a song insanely well and still be sort of surprised by what the lyrics really mean when you look at them written down and out of context – and playing a song is quite different from just listening to it.”

What else is going on in Chvrches’ world? Is a new album on the way?

“We are pretty close to finishing the new album, yes. We recorded these covers during the studio sessions for the record, actually. I don’t want to give too much away too early, but we all feel really good about what we’re making. There’s a fun and ferocity to it that feels new for us. I’m excited for people to hear it.”

You’re supporting My Bloody Valentine at the Royal Albert Hall next month (March 27). Is that something of a ‘pinch-me’ moment?
“We are really looking forward to that show. It’s a charity event for the Teenage Cancer Trust, curated by Robert Smith, and it will be the first Chvrches show in three years, which feels crazy to say.”

“It’s a ‘stripped back’ set, but we’re definitely going to make sure it still slams. We can’t open for My Bloody Valentine on acoustic guitars, you know? We all love the band so much and want to do right by them, and the charity.”