+ – Explained

+ − (plus minus)
Type:studio
Artist:Mew
Cover:Mew + - cover.jpg
Alt:plus minus album cover
Recorded:May 2013–September 2014
Copenhagen, Denmark
Genre:Electro-pop, post-rock
Label:Play It Again Sam, Evil Office, A:larm Music, Universal Music, Petroleum Records
Producer:Michael Beinhorn, Mew
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+ − (pronounced "plus minus") is the sixth studio album by Danish alternative rock band Mew. It was released on 24 April 2015. The album was produced by Michael Beinhorn and was promoted by the singles "Satellites" and "Water Slides". It was Mew's first studio album in five-and-a-half years, following their 2009 record No More Stories....[1] Bassist Johan Wohlert made his return on this album after being absent from the band's previous album following his departure in 2006.[2] + − was also the final album to feature guitarist Bo Madsen, who left the band on 1 July 2015, as well as the final album to featured original formation.[3]

Recording and release

The recording process for + − started in May 2013 in Copenhagen. Mew enlisted the help of American producer Michael Beinhorn, with whom they worked on their fourth studio album, And the Glass Handed Kites (2005).

They also invited guitarist Russell Lissack of the British rock band Bloc Party, whom they first met years earlier during a joint US concert tour, to take part in the writing process and play on the album. Lissack was featured on the track "My Complications".[4]

The release date for the album was announced on 19 January 2015 as 27 April 2015, simultaneously releasing "Satellites" as the first single.[5] The album was issued as a CD, a heavyweight gatefold double 12" vinyl and a limited edition deluxe double CD book,[6] as well as digitally, with iTunes Store pre-order starting in January.

On 2 February 2015, "The Night Believer" was premiered on Norwegian radio station NRK P3. The song features guest vocals by New Zealand singer-songwriter Kimbra.

The album's second single "Water Slides" was released on 16 March 2015.[7] On 3 April 2015, Mew premiered the song "Witness".[8]

Critical reception

Upon its release, the album received favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78, based on 17 reviews.

Ian Cohen of Pitchfork commented that "+ − is liable to be one of the more magnificent-sounding rock records you'll hear all year."

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number one in Denmark, becoming Mew's second number-one album. In the United Kingdom, + − debuted at number 59 on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 1,438 copies. It is the band's highest-charting album since Frengers (2003) charted at number 102.[9]

Personnel

Mew

Additional personnel

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
Denmark[10] 21 April 2015LP, CD, digital downloadEvil Office, A:larm Music, Universal Music
Belgium[11] 24 April 2015Play It Again Sam
Germany[12] [13]
Netherlands[14]
Norway[15] 27 April 2015Petroleum Records
Poland[16] Play It Again Sam
United Kingdom[17]
United States[18] 28 April 2015

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mew Return With New Album + −, Share "Satellites" . Corban . Goble . Pitchfork. 19 January 2015 . 23 January 2015.
  2. Web site: Nielsen. Silas Bay. Johan Wohlert: Sådan kom jeg tilbage i Mew. DR. 1 July 2015. Danish. 14 June 2014.
  3. Web site: Stine Eskildsen, Rune Melchior Sjørvad. Før Roskilde-brag: Mew mister guitarist. Ekstra Bladet. 1 July 2015. Danish. 1 July 2015.
  4. Web site: Mew, on their new album: "The songs are each very different from each other, but somehow it works" . . Sarah . Jamieson . 22 January 2015 . 23 January 2015.
  5. Web site: Mew announces new album, premieres first single "Satellites"—listen . . Chris . Coplan . 19 January 2015 . 23 January 2015.
  6. Web site: Mew . 23 January 2015.
  7. Web site: Facebook. Facebook.
  8. Web site: Witness . . subscription . 3 April 2015 . 3 April 2015.
  9. Web site: Jones. Alan. Official Charts Analysis: Blur's The Magic Whip debuts at No.1 with 43,746 sales. Music Week. 1 July 2015. 4 May 2014. 28 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160328184632/http://www.musicweek.com/businessanalysis/read/official-charts-analysis-blur-s-the-magic-whip-debuts-at-no-1-with-43-746-sales/061672. dead.
  10. Web site: + − by Mew . iTunes (DK) . 27 April 2015.
  11. Web site: + − by Mew . iTunes (BE) . 31 January 2015.
  12. Web site: Mew – + − . PIAS Recordings Germany . German . 31 January 2015 . 31 January 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150131190956/http://www.pias.com/de/mew/ . dead .
  13. Web site: "+ −" von MEW . iTunes (DE) . 31 January 2015.
  14. Web site: + − by Mew . iTunes (NL) . 31 January 2015.
  15. Web site: + − by Mew . iTunes (NO) . 27 April 2015.
  16. Web site: + − by Mew . iTunes (PL) . 31 January 2015.
  17. Web site: + − by Mew . iTunes (GB) . 31 January 2015.
  18. Web site: + − by Mew . iTunes (US) . 31 January 2015.