With the release of its fifth album, No More Stories, Danish dream pop band Mew continues to grow more sophisticated musically while reverting to a vibe that is refreshingly ingenuous. Its opulent atmospheric layers include gentle pianos, playful xylophones, high-hat heavy percussion, synthesizers, and flange-filled guitar leads, to name just a few. This provides the perfect background for the vocals to softly dissolve into. Instead of using traditional vocal harmony, depth is augmented by adding a second layer of voice that mimics the melody line (either in the same octave or the next octave up). This simplicity pairs well with the whimsical but sincere lyrics that at times seem almost childlike but twist to wistful nostalgia at others.

The complete unabridged title of the album is actually No More Stories/Are Told Today/I’m Sorry/They Washed Away//No More Stories/The World Is Grey/I’m Tired/Let’s Wash Away, which was taken from the lyrics of “Hawaii Dream.” While it’s quite a mouthful, it really does capture the essence of the entire work. Those words renounce exactly what they embody. The album, like its title, is grappling with the desire to replace naiveté with a realistic understanding of pain, but neither side is able to overcome the other.

Considering the general vibe and pattern of the album, which shifts from soft lullabies to dynamically driven scores of soul-searching, there is an uncanny semblance to The Cure’s style circa its Wish era days. The climaxes of songs like “Vaccine” and “Repeaterbeater” break the calm surface with pounding drums and passionate guitar leads without ever disturbing the dreamlike quality that persists throughout.

“Cartoons and Macramé Wounds” makes a powerful entrance with a strong drumbeat and clanging guitar. This gradually breaks down into an ethereal interlude of choir-like vocals and piano before climbing to an even higher peak than its onset. “Silas the Magic Guitar,” on the other hand, opens with mellow guitar strumming and gentle, melodic vocals, slowly drawing you further and further in by subtly adding depth.

No More Stories will strike a very intimate chord with all those people who have been forced to grow up and change along the way yet have managed to somehow preserve who they have been all along. Lyrically moving and instrumentally a dream, this album deserves to be experienced.