The Masquerade (album)

The Masquerade (stylized in all lowercase) is the debut studio album by indie pop singer-songwriter Mxmtoon, self-released on September 17, 2019. The album was primarily produced by Cavetown and co-produced by Mxmtoon. "Prom Dress", "High & Dry", "Seasonal Depression", "Blame Game" and "Dream of You" were released as singles.

The Masquerade
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 17, 2019 (2019-09-17)
StudioShifted Recording Studio, Brooklyn, New York City, United States[1]
Genre
Length67:42
Label
  • Self-released
  • House Arrest
Producer
Mxmtoon chronology
Plum Blossom
(2018)
The Masquerade
(2019)
Dawn
(2020)
Singles from The Masquerade
  1. "Prom Dress"
    Released: May 7, 2019
  2. "High & Dry"
    Released: June 27, 2019
  3. "Seasonal Depression"
    Released: July 18, 2019
  4. "Blame Game"
    Released: August 8, 2019
  5. "Dream of You"
    Released: August 29, 2019

Background edit

Prior to the album's release, Spotify announced the release of 21 Days, a music podcast which followed Mxmtoon and Cavetown as they worked on the album in New York City.[3][4] When asked to describe the album with three words in an interview with Urban Outfitters, Mxmtoon described the album as "sad", "evolved" and "universal".[5] The album was recorded at Shifted Recording Studio in Brooklyn.[1]

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Exclaim!7/10[6]
Paste7.5/10[7]

Joshua Bote of Paste described the ten-track album as "comforting twee-pop that wrings out genuine pathos from Mxmtoon's internet celebrity."[7] 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."[6] NPR's All Songs Considered wrote the album "straddles whimsy and earnest depth."[8]

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Mxmtoon and produced by Mxmtoon and Robin Skinner

The Masquerade track listing
No.TitleLength
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
The Masquerade (The Edits)[9]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Late Nights" (Alexander 23 edit)
2:54
2."High & Dry" (Chloe Moriondo & Shortly edit)Chloe Moriondo3:48
3."Dream of You" (Chloe Lilac edit)
  • Chloe Lilac
  • Sluggo
3:55
4."Prom Dress" (demo)
  • Mxmtoon
  • Reto Peter
4:41
Total length:15:18

Notes

Personnel edit

Credits adapted from Tidal.[10]

  • Mxmtoon – vocals (all tracks), additional producer, music publisher
  • Robin Skinner – producer (all tracks)

Charts edit

Chart performance for The Masquerade
Chart (2019) Peak
position
US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[11] 12
US Top Independent Albums (Billboard)[12] 45

References edit

  1. ^ a b "mxmtoon at Paste Studio NYC live from The Manhattan Center". Paste. November 14, 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-17 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ Wallock, Matt (April 23, 2020). "mxmtoon Discusses 'dawn,' Shares Her One-Album Social Distancing Soundtrack". American Songwriter. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Dredge, Stuart (September 13, 2019). "Spotify launches a podcast about musician mxmtoon". Musically. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  5. ^ "mxmtoon Reveals Her Alter Ego — Open Up". Urban Outfitters. October 11, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ a b Yuyitung, Matt (September 17, 2019). "Mxmtoon The Masquerade". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  7. ^ a b 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.
  8. ^ Lonsdorf, Kat (September 17, 2019). "mxmtoon Leaps From Online To Make Her Debut". NPR. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  9. ^ "the masquerade (the edits) / mxmtoon". Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  10. ^ "the masquerade / mxmtoon". Tidal. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  11. ^ "Heatseekers Albums - Week of Dec. 14th, 2019". Billboard.
  12. ^ "Independent Albums - Week of Sept. 28, 2019". Billboard.