Mind Hive
by Wire
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. Dusted Magazine
    Feb 3, 2020
    90
    Mind Hive is concise yet full of restless intelligence, musical ideas and willingness to push boundaries. Taut, tense, not a wasted note, moments of great beauty, 35 minutes of Wire contains enough to fuel a multitude of pretenders.
  2. AllMusic
    Jan 24, 2020
    90
    The issues Wire grapple with are evergreen, and as they persevere in the face of stupidity and apathy, Mind Hive's unflinching, poetic songs prove maturity is a weapon they wield just as deftly as outrage.
  3. PopMatters
    Jan 24, 2020
    90
    There is pleasing consistency to Mind Hive and its immediate precursors, Silver/Lead and Nocturnal Koreans, though this is a harder-edged record than either of those. Nevertheless, while there's still no way to know where they'll go next, you can guarantee it'll be interesting, and maybe that's the highest compliment you can pay a band.
  5. Classic Rock Magazine
    Feb 6, 2020
    80
    Simms certainly knows how to deliver Wire energy - compact, disciplined, no waste, no spray, as on Primed And Ready. There are also lovely moments of Wire pop here. [Mar 2020, p.87]
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  6. Clash Music
    Jan 29, 2020
    80
    ‘Mind Hive’ will be remembered as an album that reminds us a price tag still can’t be put on our integrity – artistic or moral.
  7. The Guardian
    Jan 24, 2020
    80
    It’s the strange, appealing sound of a band doggedly following their own path, eyes fixed forward.
  8. The Quietus
    Jan 24, 2020
    80
    With Mind Hive, the band continue to evolve, surprise and quietly inspire.
  9. Uncut
    Jan 22, 2020
    80
    Mind Hive follows a more varied set of strategies that yield both the dreamy haze of "Unrepentant" and the punishing grind of the eight-minute "Hung." [Feb 2020, p.35]
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  10. Q Magazine
    Jan 22, 2020
    80
    A serious sustaining of quality. [Feb 2020, p.122]
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  11. Record Collector
    Jan 22, 2020
    80
    Mind Hive is especially groundbreaking. In fact, several of its best tracks (the restless, motorik drive of Cactused and the jagged, staccato bursts of the menacing, 154-ish Be Like Them) quite openly flirt with familiarity. Yet, as always seems to be the case with this crew, these tunes are invested with enviable reserves of contemporary energy which ensure they’re served up fresh and minus the merest hint of parody.
  12. Mojo
    Jan 22, 2020
    80
    Lurid yet skillfully inconclusive music for these precarious times. [Feb 2020, p.88]
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  13. Rolling Stone
    Jan 24, 2020
    70
    It still sounds off-kilter enough to register as an album by the same people who made Pink Flag. It’s music that makes you want to dig deeper to decipher its intention.
  14. DIY Magazine
    Jan 23, 2020
    70
    Wire have proven that it’s possible to stretch possibilities through the introduction of outside influence. Youngsters take note, the past can be your friend.
  15. The Wire
    Mar 3, 2020
    50
    Wire’s music is characterised by unusual structures and perspectives, an approach largely absent from Mind Hive, the post-punk group’s 17th studio album. The most prominent themes here are political, with mixed results. [Mar 2020, p.57
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  16. No Ripcord
    Jan 30, 2020
    50
    Mind Hive is middling. Some tracks are engaging and perk up your ears, while others are flat-out dull and uninspired.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 23
  3. Negative: 3 out of 23
  1. runborisrun1
    Jan 28, 2020
    10
    I don't know how WIRE continue to find new and inventive avenues to explore their signature blend of post-punk character and prog attention toI don't know how WIRE continue to find new and inventive avenues to explore their signature blend of post-punk character and prog attention to detail. My favorite album of the year this far!… Full Review »
  2. RichardWych
    Jan 27, 2020
    10
    Sounds like a balanced combination of the bleak 154 and playful Chairs Missing. The result somewhat feels mature and dreamy. AnotherSounds like a balanced combination of the bleak 154 and playful Chairs Missing. The result somewhat feels mature and dreamy. Another magnificent record!… Full Review »
  3. StevenX
    Nov 29, 2020
    9
    Have the last three Wire albums been leading to this? It was worth the wait. As they haven't in awhile, they really mix things up, from theHave the last three Wire albums been leading to this? It was worth the wait. As they haven't in awhile, they really mix things up, from the staccato attack of opener "Be Like Them" to the lush balladscape of "Unrepentant", it's all a welcome challenge, with an adventurous, full mix that rewards repeated listenings with textures that flow and flux. "Oklahoma" throws about three songs into one without going on for far too long; "I was dying / over-rehearsed", says the singer. I kind of agree, though I wouldn't have been quite that harsh. I also agree that this album puts that problem smack-dab in past tense. The energy is up to the x power here, and it sounds like a band with something to prove again. And prove they do, eleven times in a row.… Full Review »
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