Imagination & the Misfit Kid
Imagination & the Misfit Kid is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Labrinth, released on 22 November 2019. The album was recorded in London and New York City and features vocals by singers Sia and Zendaya.
| Imagination & the Misfit Kid | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 November 2019 | |||
| Length | 38:49 | |||
| Label | Syco | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Labrinth chronology | ||||
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| Labrinth studio album chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Imagination & the Misfit Kid | ||||
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Background
An October 2019 interview with Labrinth described Imagination & the Misfit Kid as a "concept collection about a child who sells his imagination to a businessman in exchange for success",[3] while the album announcement called it an "adventure is laced together by the story of a journey through art, commerce, and imagination."[4] The album was released for digital download and streaming on 22 November 2019, with the LP released on 28 February 2020.[5]
"Misbehaving" was released as the first single from the record on 15 September 2017. "Miracle", "Mount Everest", "All for Us", "Something's Got To Give", "Where the Wild Things" and "Like a Movie" were released as singles prior to the album release in 2019. "Oblivion" served as the album's eighth single. Imagination & the Misfit Kid was written and produced entirely by Labrinth, with additional writing by Darren Poole, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Ammar Malik, Jason Evigan and Cass Lowe on select tracks. Labrinth wrote "Oblivion" with featured artist Sia.
Critical reception
In her review for Clash, Narzra Ahmed stated that Labrinth has "plenty of fun with his sound" and scored the album seven out of ten.[6] Alex Green of the Belfast Telegraph, who positively reviewed the album, stated that it was "simultaneously more experimental and more jam-packed with potential pop hits than his debut",[7] while Damien Morris of The Guardian gave the album one out of five stars, opining that Labrinth's "inventive music is decent in tiny bursts, but wearying at album length".[8] The track "Where the Wild Things" was included on Time magazine's five best songs of the week of 1 November 2019. The list's curator, Raisa Bruner praised the song as "consistently compelling".[9]
Appearances in other media
The song "All for Us" was performed by American singer Zendaya in the first season finale of the drama series Euphoria.[10] It garnered a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics in 2020.[11]
Track listing
Track listing and credits adapted from Apple Music,[12] track lengths from Qobuz.[13]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Imagination" | Timothy McKenzie | Labrinth | 1:30 |
| 2. | "Misbehaving" (The Misfit version) | McKenzie |
| 3:13 |
| 3. | "Miracle" |
|
| 3:49 |
| 4. | "Juju Woman" | McKenzie | Labrinth | 0:48 |
| 5. | "Dotted Line/Juju Man" | McKenzie | Labrinth | 3:02 |
| 6. | "All for Us" (with Zendaya) | McKenzie | Labrinth | 3:11 |
| 7. | "The Producer" | McKenzie | Labrinth | 2:43 |
| 8. | "Something's Got to Give" |
| 3:50 | |
| 9. | "I'm Blessed" | McKenzie | Labrinth | 0:50 |
| 10. | "Like a Movie" | McKenzie | Labrinth | 2:20 |
| 11. | "Sexy MF" | McKenzie |
| 2:58 |
| 12. | "Where the Wild Things" |
| Labrinth | 3:18 |
| 13. | "Mount Everest" | McKenzie | Labrinth | 2:37 |
| 14. | "The Finale" | McKenzie | Labrinth | 0:27 |
| 15. | "Oblivion" (featuring Sia) |
|
| 4:13 |
| Total length: | 38:49 | |||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 22 November 2019 | Syco | [10] | |
| Europe | 28 February 2020 | LP | [5][14] |
References
- Mamo, Heran (31 October 2019). "Labrinth Announces 'Imagination & the Misfit Kid' Album, Delivers Whimsical 'Where The Wild Things' Single". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- Moodie, Alice (9 November 2019), "Labrinth Drops New Single "Like a Movie"", GRM Daily, retrieved 25 November 2019
- Smyth, David (25 October 2019). "Labrinth interview: 'I felt like my crown was becoming a burden'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- Aswad, Jem (12 November 2019). "Labrinth Inks With Columbia Records". Variety. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- @Labrinth (12 February 2020). "Imagination & the Misfit Kid Vinyl coming February 28th. Pre-order now: syco.lnk.to/Imagination-Vinyl" (Tweet). Retrieved 12 February 2020 – via Twitter.
- Ahmed, Narzra (20 November 2019). "Labrinth – Imagination & The Misfit Kid". Clash. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- "Albums of the week - from Rod Stewart to Martin and Shirlie Kemp". Belfast Telegraph. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- Morris, Damien (8 December 2019). "Labrinth: Imagination & the Misfit Kid review – inventive but wearying". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- Bruner, Raisa (1 November 2019). "The 5 Best Songs to Listen to This Week From Dua Lipa's Disco Pop 'Don't Start Now' to Labrinth's Uplifting 'Where the Wild Things'". Time. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- Saponara, Michael (22 November 2019). "Labrinth Unleashes 'Imagination & the Misfit Kid' Album Featuring Sia & Zendaya: Stream it Now". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- Willman, Chris (28 July 2020). "Emmy Music Nominations Include Dual Score/Song Nods for Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Labrinth; Nathan Barr Earns Three (See Complete List)". Variety. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- "Imagination & the Misfit Kid by Labrinth". Apple Music. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- "Album Imagination & the Misfit Kid, Labrinth | Qobuz: download and streaming in high quality". Qobuz. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- "Imagination & The Misfit Kid [VINYL]". Amazon. Retrieved 12 February 2020.