The awesome Danish psychedelic-prog-pop band Mew share their name with a character from the Pokémon universe. And Pokémon, as you're surely aware, came to this world via Japan, first as an anime-esque retail product, then quickly expanding to include all sorts of narrative media (an animated TV series, movies, comic books), eventually becoming a commercial empire that now generates more revenue than the entirety of the world's oil industry. In that respect, the Pokémon story is basically identical to the Transformers story, soooo ... I guess (?) it makes sense (??) that Mew are contributing a new song to a forthcoming Transformers-related compilation album, titled Transformers Roll Out, which (and I'm quoting the press materials here):
...heralds the global pop-culture Transformers phenomenon, featuring a collection of hit original songs inspired by the Hasbro Transformers franchise from leading established and up-and-coming alternative, rock and alt-pop artists, morphing together to create an epic portfolio of hard-hitting tunes that truly embodies the soul of the Hasbro Transformers brand.
Huh. Well, OK, it's like ... see, the songs morph together, sorta like how Optimus Prime (RIP) morphs from a Freightliner FL86 cab-over-engine triple-axle semi into the supreme leader of a faction of sentient robot-warrior aliens who travel to Earth to defend the planet against a rival faction of sentient robot-warrior aliens. (Something like that? I dunno.)
ANYWAY, Mew are the greatest, so I'm stoked to hear new music from them regardless of its origins. And the band's contribution to Transformers Roll Out is a ravishing diamond called "Count To Ten," whose flawless joy-melancholy shimmer feels very much of a piece with the band's wonderful 2015 album, +-. The new track doesn't necessarily scream "inspired by the Hasbro Transformers franchise," but tbh I wouldn't actually be shocked if you told me the band did nothing but binge on old Transformers cartoons for a hundred hours straight before writing this one. Mew seem like total weirdos! Also, look, I'm not too proud to admit that I watched the whole run of Robotech: The New Generation on my iPhone over the course of maybe a week not too long ago -- and I wasn't being commissioned to write a song about it or anything like that -- so who am I to talk? And why the hell are you listening to me talk anyway? Man, just listen to the music.
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Transformers Roll Out is out 4/15 via Hasbro Studios and Sony Music RED Associated Labels (RAL). You can pre-order it here, or at Spotify, or at iTunes. Here's the tracklist:
01 Mount Holly - "Roll Out"
02 Bush - "This House is on Fire"
03 Crash Kings - "Gigantik"
04 MEW - "Count to Ten"
05 Elle Rae - "Into the Fire"
06 SPURS - "Exiled"
07 Jameson Burt - "Just a Spark"
08 Ours - "Stronger"
09 Darby™ - "Modern Man"
10 Born Cages - "Our Revolution"
