''We Were Here'' is the second studio album by Swiss-German pop duo

Boy A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...

. Produced by longtime contributor

Philipp Steinke Philipp Steinke is a German songwriter, film composer, record producer and musician. Steinke is a member of the band Asher Lane. Philipp Steinke was born and resides in Berlin, Germany. Songwriting and film composing career Steinke scored the s ...

, it was released on August 21, 2015 on

Grönland Records Grönland Records is a British–German independent record label founded in London, England, which relocated to Berlin in 2009. "Grönland" (German for Greenland) refers both to the country, the label's founder, Herbert Grönemeyer and the epo ...

. The album reached the top three on both the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and Swiss Albums Charts and entered the top five in Austria.

Critical reception

Norman Fleischer from ''

Nothing but Hope and Passion ''Nothing but Hope and Passion'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''NBHAP'') is a Berlin, Germany-based Internet publication devoted to music criticism, music news, artist interviews, guest mixes by artists as well as short films and "articles about lif ...

'' felt that "On ''We Were Here'' Boy deliver just the right balance between familiar songwriting qualities and new musical experiments while sounding more mature, focused and confident than before." ''

Laut.de laut.de is a German online magazine dealing exclusively with entertainment music, especially pop music, rock music, alternative music, alternative, Metal music, metal, hip-hop, jazz and Techno music, techno. It comprises record reviews, intervi ...

'' editor Michael Schuh noted that "anyone looking for a new "Little Numbers" will be disappointed. Boy have recorded a quiet, sensual album, perhaps an intuitive response to the worldwide clamor. The great and thoughtful "We Were Here" shows Boy free of any cherished girlishness, almost serious. It's still great to dance on a warm synth carpet, but it's more likely to be tightly wrapped in the semi-darkness than in the bright sun on a flower meadow. When fanfares herald the song's finale towards the end, Boy reaches their very own

Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...

moment." André Boße, writing for ''

Musikexpress The ''Musikexpress'' is a monthly German magazine that mainly writes about the rock and pop music. In addition to detailed interviews and articles about important rock, electro, hip-hop, pop, and independent musicians, the magazine offers reviews ...

'', summed the album as "harmless music, simple images – and yet not wrong: Boy's mainstream pop is absolutely fine." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' critic Frank Lähnemann found that "the fact that the two women ..were noticeably struggling with a follow-up to their monster debut ''Mutual Friends'' is always evident n ''We Were Here''– especially since the album's playing time is limited to 35 minutes. Boy keep slowing themselves down, stopping when they could take off. An advertising agency working for airlines is unlikely to be found at the moment." ''

Süddeutsche Zeitung The ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'' (; ), published in Munich, Bavaria, is one of the largest daily newspapers in Germany. The tone of SZ is mainly described as centre-left, liberal, social-liberal, progressive-liberal, and social-democrat. History ...

'' editor Thierry Backes wrote that songs like "We Were Here", "Hit My Heart" or "New York" easily "find their way into the ear and stay in the memory. And that's what Boy is all about: catchy melodies, harmoniously arranged. In this regard, Glass and Steiner do academically precise work. The nine new pieces appear more opulent than the previous ones; Glass and Steiner rely on more reverb and less acoustics." He further added: "A moderate further development from the 2011 debut can certainly be identified, but one with the clear aim of not alienating fans. Which definitely succeeds."

Track listing

All song were written by BOY and produced by

Charts

Release history

References

External links

* 2015 albums Boy (duo) albums Grönland Records albums {{2010s-alt-rock-album-stub