Mew – “The Night Believer” (video)

Jordan Blum: As I said in my review of + –, Danish quartet Mew continues to produce some of the best dream pop/rock around, as their “shimmering guitar lines, dreamy production, and seductive yet inviting melodies” can’t help but envelop listeners in an lusciously emotive shell. “The Night Believer” is a perfect example of this power, as lead singer Jonas Bjerre delivers his falsetto elegance as well as ever, with the complementary instrumentation and other voices enhancing the wistful mood. [9/10]

Paul Duffus: The best thing about this twee, glossy, banal Scando-pop is perhaps that the chorus sounds a little like the Delays, which if you think about it, is about as grave an insult as can be issued without resorting to obscene hand gestures, blowing raspberries, and name-calling. The secondhand hook is pretty enough but doesn’t compensate for the slick vapidity of the rest of this hairless wisp of nothingness. [3/10]

Chris Gerard: The latest album by Danish band Mew, +-, is easily one of 2015’s best. “The Night Believer” has one of the strongest melodic hooks on an album full of them. Jonas Bjerre’s vocals are nothing short of heavenly; he’s a bit like a more reigned-in Jónsi Birgisson. Mew is one of those bands that seem to get plenty of respect by critics but for some reason have trouble connecting with a wider audience. They deserve to be heard. [9/10]