The Masquerade (album)
The Masquerade (stylised as the masquerade) is the debut album by indie-pop singer-songwriter mxmtoon, self-released on September 17, 2019. The album was primarily produced by Cavetown and was co-produced by mxmtoon. She released "Prom Dress", "High & Dry", "Seasonal Depression", "Blame Game" and "Dream of You" as singles.
The Masquerade | |
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Studio album by | |
Released | September 17, 2019 |
Studio | Shifted Recording Studio, Brooklyn, New York City, United States[1] |
Genre | Indie pop |
Length | 67:42 |
Label | Self-released |
Producer | |
Singles from The Masquerade | |
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Background
Prior to the release of the album, Spotify announced the release of 21 Days, a music podcast that follows mxmtoon and Cavetown as they work on the album in New York City.[2][3] When asked to describe the album with three words in an interview with Urban Outfitters, Maia described the album as "sad", "evolved" and "universal".[4] The album was recorded at Shifted Recording Studio in Brooklyn.[1]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Exclaim! | 7/10[5] |
Paste | 7.5/10[6] |
Joshua Bote of Paste described the ten-track album as "comforting twee-pop that wrings out genuine pathos from mxmtoon’s internet celebrity".[6] Matt Yuyitung of Exclaim! wrote "[Maia] brings her wry sense of humour and diary-entry lyricism to her debut record, recalling the lo-fi relatability of Frankie Cosmos.[5] NPR's All Songs Considered wrote "the masquerade straddles whimsy and earnest depth."[7]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Unspoken Words" | 4:06 |
2. | "Prom Dress" | 3:17 |
3. | "Suffice" | 3:17 |
4. | "Blame Game" | 3:29 |
5. | "High & Dry" | 3:39 |
6. | "My TED Talk" | 3:00 |
7. | "Seasonal Depression" | 2:36 |
8. | "Untitled" | 3:02 |
9. | "Dream of You" | 3:54 |
10. | "Late Nights" | 3:16 |
11. | "Unspoken Words" (acoustic) | 3:30 |
12. | "Prom Dress" (acoustic) | 4:23 |
13. | "Suffice" (acoustic) | 3:45 |
14. | "Blame Game" (acoustic) | 3:55 |
15. | "High & Dry" (acoustic) | 3:43 |
16. | "My TED Talk" (acoustic) | 2:32 |
17. | "Seasonal Depression" (acoustic) | 2:32 |
18. | "Untitled" (acoustic) | 3:14 |
19. | "Dream of You" (acoustic) | 3:37 |
20. | "Late Nights" (acoustic) | 2:55 |
Total length: | 67:42 |
Notes
- All track titles are stylized in all lowercase.
Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.[8]
- Robin Skinner – producer (all tracks)
- mxmtoon – vocals (all tracks), producer, music publisher
Charts
Chart (2019) | Peak position |
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US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[9] | 12 |
US Top Independent Albums (Billboard)[10] | 45 |
References
- Paste (November 14, 2019), "mxmtoon at Paste Studio NYC live from The Manhattan Center", YouTube, retrieved 2019-11-17
- Eggertsen, Chris (September 12, 2019). "Spotify Follows '21 Days' in the Life of Up-and-Coming Singer-Songwriter mxmtoon in New Music Podcast". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- Dredge, Stuart (September 13, 2019). "Spotify launches a podcast about musician mxmtoon". Musically. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- "mxmtoon Reveals Her Alter Ego — Open Up". Urban Outfitters. October 11, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019 – via YouTube.
- Yuyitung, Matt (September 17, 2019). "Mxmtoon The Masquerade". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- Bote, Joshua (17 September 2019). "mxmtoon Might Be the Songwriter a New Generation Needs". Paste. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- Lonsdorf, Kat (September 17, 2019). "mxmtoon Leaps From Online To Make Her Debut". NPR. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- "the masquerade / mxmtoon". Tidal. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- "Heatseekers Albums - Week of Dec. 14th, 2019". Billboard.
- "Independent Albums - Week of Sept. 28, 2019". Billboard.