the Week That Was

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{{Infobox album

| name = The Week That Was

| type = studio

| artist = The Week That Was

| cover = The Week That Was self-titled CD album cover.jpg

| alt =

| released = 18 August 2008

| recorded =

| studio = 8 Music, Sunderland

| genre = Alternative rock

| length = 32:40

| label = Memphis Industries

| producer = David Brewis

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title =

| next_year =

| misc = {{Singles

| name = The Week That Was

| type = studio

| single1 = Scratch the Surface

| single1date = 1 June 2008

| single2 = The Airport Line

| single2date = 14 September 2008

}}

}}

{{Album ratings

| MC = 82/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/the-week-that-was/the-week-that-was|title=Reviews for The Week That Was by The Week That Was|website=Metacritic|access-date=May 5, 2025}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-week-that-was-mw0000793166|title=The Week That Was - The Week That Was|website=AllMusic|last=Sendra|first=Tim|date=August 26, 2008|access-date=May 5, 2025}}

| rev2 = The A.V. Club

| rev2score = A{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-week-that-was-the-week-that-was-1798204925|title=The Week That Was: The Week That Was|website=The A.V. Club|last=Martins|first=Chris|date=September 30, 2008|access-date=May 5, 2025}}

| rev3 = Drowned in Sound

| rev3score = 9/10{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080805061158/https://drownedinsound.com/release/view/13542|title=The Week That Was: The Week That Was|website=Drowned in Sound|last=Jones|first=Francis|date=18 August 2008|access-date=5 May 2025}}

| rev4 = Mojo

| rev4score = {{rating|4|5}}In these crop-to-fit times, omnivorous, visionary pop is at a premium, and there's all the more reason to prize an omnivorous visionary pop record like the Week That Was. [Sep 2008, p.96]

| rev5 = NME

| rev5score = 8/10{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080818131337/http://www.nme.com/reviews/the-week-that-was/9852|title=The Week That Was - The Week That Was|website=NME|last=Fullerton|first=Jamie|date=August 14, 2008|access-date=May 5, 2025}}

| rev6 = Now

| rev6score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://nowtoronto.com/music/album-reviews/the-week-that-was/|title=THE WEEK THAT WAS|website=Now|last=Gillis|first=Carla|date=September 24, 2008|access-date=May 5, 2025}}

| rev7 = The Observer

| rev7score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/aug/10/the.week.that.was.review|title=Rock review: The Week That Was, The Week That Was|website=The Observer|last=Thompson|first=Ben|date=10 August 2008|access-date=5 May 2025}}

| rev8 = Pitchfork

| rev8score = 8.2/10{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12244-the-week-that-was/|title=The Week That Was - The Week That Was|website=Pitchfork|last=Berman|first=Stuart|date=October 3, 2008|access-date=May 5, 2025}}

| rev9 = PopMatters

| rev9score = 7/10{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/the-week-that-was-the-week-that-was-2496115933.html|title=The Week That Was: The Week That Was|website=PopMatters|last=Gonzales|first=Matt|date=30 October 2008|access-date=5 May 2025}}

| rev10 = Uncut

| rev10score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907180314/http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/the_week_that_was/reviews/11973|title=THE WEEK THAT WAS - THE WEEK THAT WAS|website=Uncut|date=7 September 2008|access-date=5 May 2025}}

}}

The Week That Was is the side-project of Peter Brewis, member of the Sunderland art-rock band Field Music. The group was created by Brewis during Field Music's 2007-2009 hiatus, during which the two Brewis brothers Peter & David Brewis went off to pursue wider musical interests not under the 'Field Music' umbrella.{{cite web|last=Fullerton|first=Jamie|title=The Week That Was|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/the-week-that-was/9852|work=NME|accessdate=16 June 2018|date=14 August 2008}} However, as both David Brewis and former Field Music member Andrew Moore feature on the self-titled album, it is labelled as an album by "The Week That Was & Field Music" on iTunes. The group also includes musicians frequently used in Field Music's album sessions, such as Emma Fisk and Peter Richardson on strings. Like Field Music, the songs are in a progressive, fractured style often operating outside of standard verse/chorus structures. However, there are some more radio-friendly songs on the album than Field Music's work, and The Week That Was also has wider and more elaborate use of instrumentation, particularly orchestral instruments.

The album's lyrics were inspired by "Paul Auster's labyrinthine storytelling",[https://www.amazon.com/The-Week-That-Was/dp/B001BGRZ1Y Amazon.com page for album, with reviews from publications including MOJO magazine] based around "an imagined crime thriller". Though there is little evidence to suggest a narrative in the finished product, the songs are intended to be seen as musical snapshots from within this frame, moments taken from the perspectives of onlookers, perpetrators and victims. The album was written in a single week, after Brewis was inspired having just thrown out his TV and wondering how people would react without modern information technology keeping them updated on the news, etc.{{cite web|last=Jones|first=Francis|title=The Week That Was|url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/13542/reviews/3776659|work=Drowned in Sound|accessdate=16 June 2018|date=4 August 2008|archive-date=17 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617043453/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/13542/reviews/3776659|url-status=dead}} It has been suggested by multiple sources that the crime in the album's suggested narrative is a kidnapping, a theory supported by the fact that the high-profile Madeleine McCann case had recently occurred at the time of the album's writing. It has also been suggested that the last song, Scratch The Surface, may be from the point of view of the kidnapper if this is the case, hence the lyric “Don’t you read the paper? / You’re bound to find me later”. The album had two main singles, 'The Airport Line' and 'Scratch The Surface', with a video for the latter. 'Learn To Learn' was released as a promo-only single with an accompanying video.