Visuals is the seventh and final studio album by Danish alternative rock band Mew. It was released on 28 April 2017. It is the first Mew album not to feature guitarist Bo Madsen, who left the band after their previous album, + − (2015), and their first album since No More Stories... (2009) to be recorded as a trio.
Recording and release The album was written while on tour for + − (2015). It was recorded and self-produced in Copenhagen with the band designing the visuals for it.
On 24 January 2017, Mew announced the album via their official website, while a song from the album, "Carry Me to Safety", was premiered on Danish radio station P6 Beat.
First single "85 Videos" was released together with a music video on 16 February 2017. On 3 April 2017, the second single "Twist Quest" was shared. Music videos for both singles were directed by Jonas Bjerre.
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 74, based on 9 reviews.
Dave Beech, writing for DIY, described it as "a confident release from a seasoned band still harbouring the energies of youth."
Track listing
Personnel Mew Jonas Bjerre – vocals, keyboards, guitar Johan Wohlert – bass, backing vocals, guitar Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen – drums, percussion
Additional personnel Mads Wegner – additional guitar Marius Neset – saxophone Bo Rande – trumpet, flugelhorn Sasha Ryabina – backing vocals
Charts Weekly charts +Weekly chart performance for Visuals Chart (2017) Peak position
Release history Region Date Format Label Japan 21 April 2017 CD, digital download Play It Again Sam Worldwide 28 April 2017 LP, CD, digital download
References