Mind Hive
Mind Hive is the seventeenth studio album from English art punk band Wire, released on 24 January 2020.[3] The release was preceded by a music video for "Cactused" made up of clips from the forthcoming documentary People in a Film[4] and streaming audio for "Primed and Ready".[5] They also announced a brief tour of North America to promote the recording.[5]
Mind Hive | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 24 January 2020 | |||
Recorded | 2019 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 34:52 | |||
Label | Pinkflag | |||
Wire chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10[6] |
Metacritic | 84/100[7] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [8] |
DIY | [9] |
The Guardian | [10] |
PopMatters | [2] |
Rolling Stone | [1] |
Mind Hive was met with positive reviews from critics noted at review aggregator Metacritic. This release received a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 10 reviews.[7] Review aggregator AnyDecentMusic? assess the critical consensus as a 7.7 out of 10.[6] Brooklyn Vegan praised the album saying Wire "have honed a sound that pulls from all periods of the band."[11] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian gave the album four out of five stars and said, "If Mind Hive were the debut by a hot new band, you suspect what's left of the music press would be doing their nut over it."[10]
Accolades
Issuer | Listing | Rank |
---|---|---|
Rough Trade[12] | Albums of the Year 2020 | 85 |
Track listing
All songs written by Colin Newman, except "Oklahoma" by Graham Lewis. All lyrics by Graham Lewis, except "Cactused" and "Unrepentant" by Colin Newman.
- "Be Like Them" – 3:51
- "Cactused" – 3:35
- "Primed and Ready" – 2:44
- "Off the Beach" – 2:23
- "Unrepentant" – 5:01
- "Shadows" – 2:46
- "Oklahoma" – 3:08
- "Hung" – 7:54
- "Humming" – 3:30
Personnel
Wire
- Graham Lewis – bass guitar, backing vocals on "Be Like Them" and "Cactused", synthesizer on "Oklahoma", vocals on "Oklahoma" and "Humming"
- Robert Grey – drums, cymbal on "Unrepentant"
- Colin Newman – vocals, guitar; keyboards; acoustic guitar on "Be Like Them", "Off the Beach", "Unrepentant", and "Shadows"; 12-string acoustic guitar on "Off the Beach" and "Unrepentant"; effects on "Hung"; stylophone on "Hung"; tenor guitar on "Be Like Them" and "Unrepentant"
- Matthew Simms – guitar; synths on "Be Like Them", "Primed and Ready", "Unrepentant", "Oklahoma", and "Hung"; effects on "Hung"; organ on "Humming"
Additional personnel
- Sean Douglas – organ on "Humming"
- Harald Pettersson – hurdy gurdy on "Oklahoma"
- Skye Mastering – mastering
Charts
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] | 155 |
Scottish Albums (OCC)[14] | 22 |
UK Albums (OCC)[15] | 82 |
See also
References
- Grow, Kory (24 January 2020). "Wire Narrate Dark Times Over Art-Punk Maximalism on Mind Hive". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- Griffiths, Peter (24 January 2020). "Wire's Mind Hive Shows the Post-Punk Band at Their Inimitable Best". PopMatters. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (22 October 2019). "Wire Announce New Album Mind Hive, Share New Song 'Cactused'". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- Eede, Christian (22 October 2019). "Wire Announce New Album, Mind Hive". The Quietus. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- Grow, Kory (8 January 2020). "Hear Wire's New-Wavey Song 'Primed and Ready'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- "Mind Hive by Wire Reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
- "Mind Hive by Wire Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- Phares, Heather. "Mind Hive". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- Doherty, Jack (24 January 2020). "Wire – Mind Hive". DIY. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- Petridis, Alexis (24 January 2020). "Wire: Mind Hive Review – Sinewy, Stripped-Back, Fearful – and Beautiful". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- Pearis, Bill (24 January 2020). "Bill's Indie Basement (1/24): The Week in Classic Indie, College Rock, and More". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- "Albums of the Year 2020". Rough Trade. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- "Ultratop.be – Wire – Mind Hive" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Mind Hive at Discogs (list of releases)
- Mind Hive at MusicBrainz (list of releases)