PVRIS‘ new album Use Me has been a long time coming, in more ways than one.

For one, the record finds frontwoman Lynn Gunn openly embracing her role as the central creative force behind PVRIS. While she’d always been that within the trio, in the past she felt she needed to minimize or “shrink” her role while speaking publicly about the band.

“There’s a lot of reasons for it, but the ultimate one is just wanting to feel free and creative, and not have to tiptoe around about the creative process or anything,” Gunn tells ABC Audio.

Secondly, Use Me finally arrives this Friday after being delayed multiple times this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gunn feels that the delay has actually relieved some pressure, and has made the album more about just the music, rather than the “giant parade” that often accompanies traditional record releases.

“I think right now, we need music, and we need something to look forward to,” she says. “I’m happy that we can be at least be a little sprinkle of joy for some people out there at this time.”

“Joy” isn’t necessarily the driving emotion on Use Me, though. The album deals with a number of dark themes, with songs such as “Good to Be Alive,” which features the lyric, “Feels good to be alive/but I hate my life.”

Gunn originally wrote that lyric about her struggle with autoimmune disorders, but she feels it might feel more universal now in the time of COVID-19.

“I think there is a giant collective ‘What the f*** is going on?’ that I think a lot of us are feeling,” she says. “I hope that, if anything, maybe that lyric is just, like, ‘Ah man, yeah, I feel that.'”

By Josh Johnson
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.