At Night, Alone

At Night, Alone. is the second studio album by American singer Mike Posner. It was released on May 6, 2016 by Island.[3] The album features guest appearances by Labrinth and Big Sean.[4]

At Night, Alone.
Studio album by Mike Posner
Released	May 6, 2016 (2016-05-06)
Recorded	2015
Studio	Mike's House (Southfield, Michigan) Kensaltown Recording Studios (Kensal Rise, London) EastWest Studios (Hollywood, Los Angeles) Hideout Recording Studio (Las Vegas, Nevada) Mirrorball Studios (North Hollywood, Los Angeles)[1]
Genre	Acoustic pop, electronic[2]
Length	58:17
Label	Island
Producer	Mike Posner Martin Terefe Adam Friedman MdL
Mike Posner chronology
The Truth (2015) At Night, Alone. (2016) A Real Good Kid (2019)
Singles from At Night, Alone
"I Took a Pill in Ibiza" Released: July 24, 2015

The album received positive reviews from music critics, who celebrated the record's mature sound, and his autobiographic and introspective lyrical content. The album was considered a qualitative big step forward from his previous album 31 Minutes to Takeoff.

Background

Mike Posner released his first single in two years, "The Way It Used to Be" in June 2013, and announced the release of his second album Pages.[5] In October 2013 Posner said in an interview with Billboard: "I've made maybe over 100 songs since the last album, so I've got a good 12, 15 I'm proud of."[6] A second single featuring Big Sean, "Top of the World" was released in December 2013.[7] In March 2014, Billboard reported that Pages would be released later that year, but the release never materialized. Instead, Posner released the extended play, The Truth in June 2015 on Island Records, featuring four tracks later featured on At Night, Alone.[8]

"I Took a Pill in Ibiza" was released as a single on July 24, 2015, and found international success in a remix by Seeb. In August 2015, Posner said that he had recorded two albums (Pages and Sky High) since his debut album, 31 Minutes to Takeoff (2010), which were both shelved by his former label RCA Records because "they didn't have a hit".[9][10]

Posner said country singer Jake Owen encouraged him to "tell the truth" in his songs" and showed him artists like Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, which made Posner realize that "you can just literally say the truth and it’s beautiful, and it’s heart-wrenching and it’s funny".[11][12] The album is inspired by country music according to Posner: "So, like, the way I was inspired by hip-hop when I first started and would sort of sing hip-hop, this new (music) is kind of my take on country music. It doesn't sound country and no one uses the word country to describe it, but it's me trying to do country and it comes out weird and different."[11]

Singles

"I Took a Pill in Ibiza" was first released on Mike Posner's extended play, The Truth, on June 22, 2015.[13] The remix version by Seeb was released on July 24, 2015.[14]

Promotional singles

"Be as You Are" was released as promotional single in the United States on July 26, 2016.[15] On February 17, 2017 a remix of "In the Arms of a Stranger" by Grey was released as promotional single.[16]

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AOTY	60/100[17]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[18]
Idolator	3.5/5[2]
The Guardian	[19]

David Jeffries of AllMusic noted an improvement for Posner in the album, writing, "This might not yet be the ultimate showcase for his talents, but At Night, Alone is both a welcome return and a significant step forward." Jordan Simon of Idolator wrote, "Posner on the album places his bets as pop's 'born-again' countryman," calling the album "not a pop jamboree. It is truth in advertising, an album exclusively optimized for solitude spent immersed in deep thought." Gwilym Mumford of The Guardian wrote, "Some curios apart—the a cappella revolutionary hymn 'Only God Knows' and rowdy folk-punk of 'Jade'—there is little here that lingers long in the memory, with only Posner's braggadocio and pinched vocals distinguishing him from the singer-songwriter crowd."

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"At Night, Alone."	Posner	Posner	0:10
2.	"I Took a Pill in Ibiza"	Posner	Posner Martin Terefe	4:40
3.	"Not That Simple"	Posner Adam Friedman Ely Rise	Posner Terefe Friedman	3:54
4.	"Be as You Are"	Posner Friedman	Posner Friedman Terefe^[a]	3:53
5.	"In the Arms of a Stranger"	Posner	Posner Terefe Friedman MdL	3:47
6.	"Silence" (featuring Labrinth)	Posner Timothy McKenzie	Posner Terefe	4:18
7.	"Iris"	Posner Friedman	Posner Friedman MdL	3:31
8.	"Only God Knows"	Posner	Posner	2:45
9.	"Jade"	Posner	Posner MdL	3:41
10.	"One Hell of a Song"	Posner	Posner Friedman MdL	3:16
11.	"Buried in Detroit"	Posner	Posner Terefe	4:08
12.	"Thank You"	Posner	Posner	0:08
13.	"I Took a Pill in Ibiza" (SeeB Remix)	Posner	Posner Terefe SeeB^[b]	3:17
14.	"Not That Simple" (Kyle Tree Remix)	Posner Adam Friedman Ely Rise	Posner Terefe Friedman Kyle Tree^[b]	3:27
15.	"Be as You Are" (JordanXL Remix)	Posner Friedman	Posner Friedman Terefe^[a] JordanXL^[b]	3:23
16.	"In the Arms of a Stranger" (Brian Kierulf Remix)	Posner	Posner Terefe Friedman MdL Brian Kierulf^[b]	3:27
17.	"Silence" (Sluggo x Loote Remix) (featuring Labrinth)	Posner McKenzie	Posner Terefe Dave Katz^[b] Jackson Foote^[b]	3:09
18.	"Buried in Detroit" (Lucas Löwe Remix) (featuring Big Sean)	Posner Sean Anderson	Posner Terefe Jordan Orvosh^[b]	3:23
Total length:				58:17

Target exclusive edition bonus tracks[20]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
19.	"Stay with You"	Posner	Posner Robopop MdL	2:50
20.	"Miley Cyrus"	Posner	Posner Terefe Friedman	6:10
Total length:				1:07:17

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies a remixer

Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes:[1]

I Took a Pill in Ibiza Mike Posner - lead and background vocals Eugene Huang - guitar Nikolaj Torp - piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, whistle Martin Terefe - bass and background vocals Geoff Lea - drums Oskar Winberg - additional percussion Recorded by Sam Keyte at Kensaltown Recording Studios Vocals recorded by Mike Posner at Mike's House Mixed by Tony Maserati and Tyler Scott at Mirrorball Studios Not That Simple Mike Posner - lead and background vocals, piano and space echo Glen Scott - piano and organ Adam Friedman - guitar Martin Terefe - bass Kristoffer Sonne - drums and percussion Forrest D. Gray - string arrangement Recorded by Sam Keyte at Kensaltown Recording Studios, assisted by Kristian Larsen Vocals recorded by Mike Posner at Mike's House Additional recording by Oskar Winberg Mixed by Tony Maserati and Tyler Scott at Mirrorball Studios Be As You Are Mike Posner - lead and background vocals Adam Friedman - keyboards, guitar, drums and percussion, background vocals Simon Huber - bass Alex Toff - drums Oskar Winberg - percussion Ro Rowan - cello Vocals recorded by Mike Posner at Mike's House Mixed by Tony Maserati and Tyler Scott at Mirrorball Studios In the Arms of a Stranger Mike Posner - lead and background vocals, keyboards, space echo Glen Scott - keyboards Adam Friedman - guitar Martin Terefe - bass Kristoffer Sonne - drums Recorded by Sam Keyte at Kensaltown Recording Studios, assisted by Kristian Larsen Vocals recorded by Mike Posner at Mike's House Additional recording by Oskar Winberg Mixed by Tony Maserati and Tyler Scott at Mirrorball Studios Silence Mike Posner - lead and background vocals, keyboards, piano and space echo Glen Scott - keyboards Adam Friedman - guitar Martin Terefe - bass Kristoffer Sonne - drums Recorded by Sam Keyte at Kensaltown Recording Studios, assisted by Kristian Larsen Vocals recorded by Mike Posner at Mike's House Additional recording by Oskar Winberg Mixed by Tony Maserati and Tyler Scott at Mirrorball Studios

Iris Mike Posner - lead and background vocals Adam Friedman - guitar, keyboards, drums, percussion, background vocals Erick "Jesus" Coomes - bass MdL - drums and percussion Recorded by Adam Friedman, MdL and Mike Posner at Mike's House Mixed by Tony Maserati and Tyler Scott at Mirrorball Studios Only God Knows Mike Posner - lead and background vocals Norman Henry Mamey - "words of wisdom" Recorded by Mike Posner at Mike's House Mixed by Tony Maserati and Tyler Scott at Mirrorball Studios Jade Mike Posner - lead and background vocals Ely "The Creep" Rise - keyboards, organ Nick Maybury - guitar Bana Haffar - bass MdL - drums and percussion, programming Recorded by Mike Posner and Mason Levy at Mike's House Mixed by Tony Maserati and Tyler Scott at Mirrorball Studios One Hell of a Song Mike Posner - lead and background vocals James Valentine - guitar Erick "Jesus" Coomes - bass Adam Friedman - drums, percussion, background vocals MdL - drums Recorded by Mike Posner and Adam Friedman at Mike's House Mixed by Tony Maserati and Tyler Scott at Mirrorball Studios Buried in Detroit Mike Posner - lead and background vocals, piano Glenn Scott - Rhodes piano Martin Terefe - bass Kristoffer Sonne - drums and percussion Steven Pemberton - drums Oskar Winberg, John Magnussen - additional percussion Norman Henry Mamey - orchestral arrangement and conductor Bob O'Donnell - orchestra contractor Michael Markman, Neil Sample, Leslie Katz, Rebecca Chung, Lisa Dondlinger, Lorand Lokuszta, Lorenz Gamma, Tamaa Chernyak-Pepp, Marisa Sorajja, Radu Pieptka - violins Nancy Roth, Pamela Goldsmith - violas Dennis Karamazyn, Paul Hochhalter - cellos Kevin Axt - brass Brian Scanlon, Jeff Driskhill, Phillip Feather, John Carr - woodwinds Gary Halopoff, Chris Tedesco - trumpets Charles Morillas, David Ryan, Craig Ware - trombones Amy Wilkins - harp Recorded by Sam Keyte at Kensaltown Recording Studios, assisted by Kristian Larsen Orchestra recorded by Dennis Sands at EastWest Studios Piano and additional vocals recorded by Josh Connolly, Dominic Jordan, Jimmy Giannos at the Hideout Recording Studio Additional recording by Oskar Winberg Mixed by Tony Maserati and Tyler Scott at Mirrorball Studios

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2016) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[21] 60 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22] 120 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[23] 6 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[24] 19 French Albums (SNEP)[25] 85 Irish Albums (IRMA)[26] 87 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[27] 11 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[28] 18 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 63 UK Albums (OCC)[30] 79 US Billboard 200[31] 12

Year-end charts Chart (2016) Position US Billboard 200[32] 163

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[33]	Gold	20,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. "At Night, Alone. LC00407. BIEM/SDRM. 0602547816856. Liner notes". Discogs. Island Records. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
2. "Mike Posner's 'At Night, Alone': Album Review - Idolator". Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com.
3. Records, Island. "MIKE POSNER ANNOUNCES SOPHOMORE LP "AT NIGHT, ALONE"". www.islandrecords.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
4. Christina. "Mike Posner Announces 'At Night, Alone.' Tracklist and Pre-Order". MikePosnerHits.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
5. "Mike Posner Returns To 'The Way It Used To Be': Hear New Single". Billboard.
6. "Mike Posner Gears Up to Finish 'Pages' Album, Hints at Big Guest Artists". Billboard.
7. "Top of the World (feat. Big Sean) - Single". iTunes.
8. "The Truth".
9. Sullivan, Lindsey (February 8, 2016). "Mike Posner on His Hit 'I Took a Pill in Ibiza'". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
10. "How Merle Haggard, Big Sean Influenced Mike Posner's New Album". Billboard. 6 May 2016.
11. "Mike Posner Talks Writing for Maroon 5, Recording Sophomore Album - Billboard". Billboard.
12. "Mike Posner: In His Own Words". Tidal.
13. "Mike Posner - 'The Truth' EP Available Now! - MikePosnerHits.com". 22 June 2015. Archived from the original on 5 April 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
14. I Took a Pill In Ibiza (SeeB Remix) - Single by Mike Posner on iTunes
15. "Future-releases". Archived from the original on July 21, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
16. "In the Arms of a Stranger (Grey Remix) - Single by Mike Posner on Apple Music". iTunes.
17. https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/52049-mike-posner-at-night-alone.php
18. "At Night, Alone - Mike Posner - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic".
19. Mumford, Gwilym (5 May 2016). "Mike Posner: At Night Alone review – syrupy, twinkly balladeering".
20. "Mike Posner - At Night, Alone (Target Exclusive)". Target. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
21. "CHART WATCH #376". auspOp. July 9, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
22. "Ultratop.be – Mike Posner – At Night, Alone." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
23. "Mike Posner Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
24. "Mike Posner: At Night, Alone." (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
25. "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes - SNEP (Week 33, 2016)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
26. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 19, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
27. "VG-lista - Topp 40 Album uke 22, 2016". VG-lista. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
28. "Swedishcharts.com – Mike Posner – At Night, Alone.". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
29. "Swisscharts.com – Mike Posner – At Night, Alone.". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
30. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
31. "Mike Posner Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
32. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
33. "Brazilian album certifications – Mike Posner – At night, alone" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos.