It’s been more than five years since Mew released an album, the last one being No More Stories… in 2009. Therefore + – is eagerly awaited by fans all over the world, and not only is it the quartet’s first offering in six years, it’s also the first to include bassist Johan Wohlert, since 2006′s And The Glass Handed Kites, and also sees Michael Beinhorn slide back into to the producer’s chair.
Opening track and first single ‘Satellites’, starts out with beautiful harp-like arrangements, soon followed by the familiar falsetto voice of singer Jonas Bjerre… and bang! In an instant you’re drawn back into the huge atmospheric sound of Mew – just listen to sky-rocketing track ‘Making Friends’.
Even though it has been hinted that they were returning to the And the Glass Handed Kites era- sound, + – (with songs like the the playful ‘My Complications’ or energetic rocker ‘Witness’) is as far from ’Zookeeper’s Boy’, for example, as you could possible imagine. Instead + – sets its own new standards, from album highlight ‘Clinging To A Bad Dream’ to beautiful closing track ‘Cross The River On Your Own’.
Personally I miss the slickness of early pop singles such as ‘Am I Wry? No’, the raw, youthful wildness of ‘Snow Brigade’, and the pure, angelic beauty of ‘Symmetry’. But that’s just me. Fact is that Mew are not a group that likes to repeat itself. Mew are artists in the true sense of the word, they make pop craft and they’re good at it.
Mew is a musical collective of old school buddies that continues to grow together – and that’s a rare thing on today’s pop scene. I’m sure their audience will appreciate + – and hail the return of their Danish heroes.
Half the world is still watching!
Mew’s new album + – is set for release on April 27th through Play It Again Sam.
2015 Tour Dates:
May
14 – The Great Escape 2015, Brighton Corn Exchange, Brighton, UK
15 – Botanique, Brussels, Belgium
17 – O2 ABC, Glasgow, UK
19 – The Ritz, Manchester, UK
20 – Roundhouse, London, UK
22 – La Flèche d’Or, Paris, France
22-24 – Maifeld Derby 2015, Maimarkt-Gelände, Mannheim, Germany
23 – Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands
25 – Lido, Berlin, Germany
27 – Magazzini Generali, Milan, Italy
28 – Strom Linienclub, Munich, Germany
31 – Harvest 2015, Istanbul, Turkey
June
19-21 – Best Kept Secret Festival 2015, Beekse Bergen, Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands
25-27 – Bråvalla Festival 2015, Festivalområdet Bråvalla, Norrköping, Sweden
27-04 – Roskilde Festival 2015, Roskilde Festival, Roskilde, Denmark
July
03-05 – Ruisrock 2015, Turku, Finland
14-15 – Skral Festival 2015, Grimstad, Norway
16-18 – Malakoff Festival 2015, Nordfjordeid, Norway
August
15 – Summer Sonic 2015, Osaka, Japan
16 – Summer Sonic 2015, Tokyo, Japan
20-22 – Pukkelpop 2015, Pukkelpop Festival, Hasselt, Belgium
20-23 – Green Man Festival 2015, Powys, UK
November
04 – Falconer Salen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
05 – Scandinavian Congress Center, Aarhus, Denmark
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Words: Anders Knudsen