Visuals (album)

Visuals
Studio album by
Mew
Released28 April 2017 (2017-04-28)
Recorded2016
GenreAlternative rock, pop[1]
Length43:46
LabelPlay It Again Sam
ProducerMew
Mew chronology
+ −
(2015) 		Visuals
(2017)
Singles from Visuals
  1. "85 Videos"
    Released: 16 February 2017
  2. "Twist Quest"
    Released: 3 April 2017
  3. "In a Better Place"
    Released: 11 May 2017

Visuals is the seventh studio album by Danish alternative rock band Mew. It was released on 28 April 2017.[2] 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. 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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Drowned in Sound7/10[5]
Exclaim!6/10[6]
Pitchfork6.2/10[1]
PopMatters[7]

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.[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jonas Bjerre, Johan Wohlert, and Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen.

Visuals track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Nothingness and No Regrets"4:28
2."The Wake of Your Life"4:42
3."Candy Pieces All Smeared Out"3:36
4."In a Better Place"4:40
5."Ay Ay Ay"3:40
6."Learn Our Crystals"5:20
7."Twist Quest"3:20
8."Shoulders"2:52
9."85 Videos"4:36
10."Zanzibar"2:04
11."Carry Me to Safety"4:28
Total length:43:46
Bonus tracks on Japanese release
No.TitleLength
12."Seeker Shivers"2:40
13."Heavenly Jewel Thief"4:16

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
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[8] 193
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[9] 18
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[10] 15
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[11] 35
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[12] 47

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Japan[13] 21 April 2017 CD, digital download Play It Again Sam
Worldwide[14] 28 April 2017 LP, CD, digital download

References

  1. ^ a b Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (26 April 2017). "Mew: Visuals | Album Reviews". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  2. ^ Gaca, Anna (24 January 2017). "New Music: Mew Announce New Album Visuals, Share "Carry Me to Safety"". SPIN. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Reviews and Tracks for Visuals by Mew". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  4. ^ Yeung, Neil Z. "Visuals - Mew". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  5. ^ Spenceley, Haydon (27 May 2017). "Album Review: Mew - Visuals". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 11 September 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  6. ^ Gee, Chris (26 April 2017). "Mew - Visuals". Exclaim!. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  7. ^ Blum, Jordan (24 April 2017). "Mew: Visuals". PopMatters. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  8. ^ "Ultratop.be – Mew – Visuals" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  9. ^ "Hitlisten.NU – Album Top-40 Uge 18, 2017". Hitlisten. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Mew Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  11. ^ "Mew Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  12. ^ "Mew Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  13. ^ "Releases". Hostess.co.jp. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  14. ^ "Play It Again Sam :: News :: 'visuals' - The New Album From Danish Prog-pop Powerhouse Mew - Is Out Today!". playitagainsam.net. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017.