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Mind Hive

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Mind Hive
The band's name written in white and the album title in blue with a thick black line striking it on a black background
Studio album by
Wire
Released24 January 2020 (2020-01-24)
Recorded2018–2019[1]
Studio
Genre
Length34:52
LabelPinkflag
ProducerColin Newman
Wire chronology
Silver/Lead
(2017) 		Mind Hive
(2020) 		10:20
(2020)
Singles from Mind Hive
  1. "Cactused"
    Released: October 2019[4]
  2. "Primed and Ready"
    Released: January 2020[5]

Mind Hive is the seventeenth studio album from English art punk band Wire, released on 24 January 2020 by Pinkflag.[6] The release was preceded by a music video for "Cactused" made up of clips from the forthcoming documentary People in a Film[7] and streaming audio for "Primed and Ready".[8] They also announced a brief tour of North America to promote the recording.[8]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[9]
Metacritic84/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
DIY[12]
The Guardian[13]
PopMatters[3]
Rolling Stone[2]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Mind Hive received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from 10 critic scores.[10] Review aggregator AnyDecentMusic? assess the critical consensus as a 7.7 out of 10.[9] Brooklyn Vegan praised the album saying Wire "have honed a sound that pulls from all periods of the band."[14] 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."[13]

Accolades

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Accolades for Mind Hive
Issuer Listing Rank
Rough Trade[15] Albums of the Year 2020 85

Track listing

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All songs written by Colin Newman, except "Oklahoma" by Graham Lewis. All music by Wire. All lyrics by Graham Lewis, except "Cactused" and "Unrepentant" by Colin Newman. (Songwriting credits as per liner notes for Mind Hive)[16]

  1. "Be Like Them" – 3:51
  2. "Cactused" – 3:35
  3. "Primed and Ready" – 2:44
  4. "Off the Beach" – 2:23
  5. "Unrepentant" – 5:01
  6. "Shadows" – 2:46
  7. "Oklahoma" – 3:08
  8. "Hung" – 7:54
  9. "Humming" – 3:30

Personnel

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Wire

  • Graham Lewis – bass guitar, backing vocals on "Be Like Them" and "Cactused", synthesizer on "Oklahoma", vocals on "Oklahoma" and "Humming"; effects on "Hung"
  • Robert Grey – drums, cymbals 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"; 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 musicians

  • Sean Douglas – organ on "Humming"
  • Harald Pettersson – hurdy gurdy on "Oklahoma"

Technical

  • Colin Newman – producer, mixing
  • Sean Douglas – engineer
  • Matthew Simms – additional engineer
  • Denis Blackham – mastering
  • Jon Wozencroft – art direction, photography

Charts

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Sales chart performance for Mind Hive
Chart Peak
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 155
Scottish Albums (OCC)[18] 22
UK Albums (OCC)[19] 82

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Goyer, Nate (20 July 2020). "The Vinyl Guide Ep232: Colin Newman of Wire (57:55 min)". The Vinyl Guide. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b Grow, Kory (24 January 2020). "Wire Narrate Dark Times Over Art-Punk Maximalism on Mind Hive". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  3. ^ a b Griffiths, Peter (24 January 2020). "Wire's Mind Hive Shows the Post-Punk Band at Their Inimitable Best". PopMatters. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  4. ^ Grow, Kory (22 October 2019). "Wire Drops Serene New Song 'Cactused'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Wire share new single "Primed & Ready"". The Wire. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  6. ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (22 October 2019). "Wire Announce New Album Mind Hive, Share New Song 'Cactused'". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  7. ^ Eede, Christian (22 October 2019). "Wire Announce New Album, Mind Hive". The Quietus. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  8. ^ a b Grow, Kory (8 January 2020). "Hear Wire's New-Wavey Song 'Primed and Ready'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Mind Hive by Wire Reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Mind Hive by Wire Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  11. ^ Phares, Heather. "Mind Hive". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  12. ^ Doherty, Jack (24 January 2020). "Wire – Mind Hive". DIY. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  13. ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (24 January 2020). "Wire: Mind Hive Review – Sinewy, Stripped-Back, Fearful – and Beautiful". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "Albums of the Year 2020". Rough Trade. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  16. ^ Mind Hive (Media notes). Wire. Pinkflag. 2020.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Wire – Mind Hive" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
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