| IRL | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Mahalia |
| Cover: | Mahalia - IRL.png |
| Genre: | R&B |
| Length: | 44:33 |
| Label: | Warner Music |
| Prev Title: | Love and Compromise |
| Prev Year: | 2019 |
IRL (initialism for In Real Life) is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter Mahalia. The album was released on 14 July 2023 through Warner Music.[1] The album was inspired by the singer's "traumatic breakup" and her visits to "therapy".[2] In support of the album, Mahalia embarked on a tour of the United Kingdom, Europe, North America and Australia, commencing in October 2023 in Leeds[3] and concluding in Brisbane, Australia on 8 May 2024.[4] [5]
IRL received a score of 80 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.2 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.Elle Barton of DIY called the album a "delight", writing that it strikes "a perfect balance between familiarity and unpredictability, immediate choruses coexisting with a relaxed, breezy sound". NMEs Erica Campbell described the album as "bold, vulnerable, classic R&B", with IRL "reflect[ing] a young woman fully becoming herself, not just confidently throwing her hands up but boldly letting her guard down too".
Red Dziri of The Line of Best Fit wrote that "Mahalia is not casting as wide a net as she did in her career-defining debut" and "if IRL is not as consistent as her previous output, this new album still cements Mahalia as a major R&B/Soul fixture both nationally and abroad". Lucy Fitzgerald, reviewing the album for The Skinny, found it to be "satiny and consistent, [but] sonically and lyrically you're eager for some bigger swings. [...] IRL is like a path reflecting dappled sunlight: we can see patches of brightness but its full light is obscured".
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