In Real Life (album) explained

In Real Life
Type:studio
Artist:Mandy Moore
Cover:In Real Life (Mandy Moore album).jpg
Border:yes
Genre:
Length:40:42
Label:Verve Forecast
Producer:Mike Viola
Prev Title:Silver Landings
Prev Year:2020

In Real Life is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Mandy Moore, released on May 13, 2022, via Verve Forecast Records. The album is a follow-up to her sixth studio album, Silver Landings (2020).

Background

Following the birth of her first child with husband and Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith in February 2021, Moore returned to the studio to record new music that she wrote with her husband during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] Moore also worked with longtime producer Mike Viola, Dawes drummer Griffin Goldsmith, Dawes keyboardist Lee Pardini, guitarists Madison Cunningham and Sean Watkins, bassists Davey Faragher and Sebastian Steinberg, and Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius.[3] [4]

Promotion

Moore released a short clip on Instagram of an acoustic version of "In Real Life", the first song in the new album, which she performed with her husband in an Instagram reel on March 6, 2022.[5] Three days later, on March 9, she announced in an Instagram post that the song would also become the title of the album and that it was the result of "digging some creative catharsis during quarantine and getting ready to become a mother."[6] On March 18, the music video for "In Real Life" was published on Moore's YouTube channel, which featured her son, her husband, as well as celebrity friends and the cast of the NBC drama This Is Us, where Moore is one of the main cast.[7] [8]

During a guest appearance in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 11, Moore announced that she is going on a North American tour to promote the album beginning in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 10.[4] After 12 gigs, the rest of the tour was cancelled due to her pregnancy.

Critical reception

In Real Life received generally positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic gave the album a positive rating of three and a half stars and stated in its review: "Where its predecessor was filled with songs of rebirth and empowerment, In Real Life is gentler, concentrating on domestic warmth where the partners are healthy enough to know how to meet in the middle -- a compromise that becomes essential with a new baby entering the family."[3] It added, "It's a welcoming, cheery sound that matches Moore's optimism, but it's hard not to wish there was an occasional loose end or ragged fringe."[3]

Writing for Riff Magazine, Mike DeWald said of the album: "In Real Life showcases Moore's growth and maturity as both a songwriter and performer. The album is fun and breezy, but most importantly, it feels authentic to her personal experience."

Track listing

All music is produced by Mike Viola.

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: May 9, 2022 . ALBUM REVIEW: Mandy Moore mixes it up on intimate "In Real Life" . June 2, 2023 . RIFF Magazine . en-US.
  2. Web site: Dailey . Hannah . Mandy Moore Says 'This Is Us' Inspired Her To Make Music Again: 'It Activated Something In Me' . Yahoo! Sports . May 11, 2022 . May 31, 2022.
  3. Web site: In Real Life Review. Stephen Thomas. Erlewine. AllMusic. May 21, 2022.
  4. Web site: Schube . Will . May 14, 2022 . Mandy Moore Releases New Album, 'In Real Life' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220519215550/https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/mandy-moore-in-real-life-2/ . May 19, 2022 . May 21, 2022 . uDiscoverMusic.
  5. Web site: Romualdi . Melissa . Mandy Moore Releases New Track 'Real Life' Off Forthcoming Album Featuring Husband Taylor Goldsmith, Announces Tour . ET Canada . March 8, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220308171532/https://etcanada.com/news/874146/mandy-moore-releases-new-track-real-life-off-forthcoming-album-featuring-husband-taylor-goldsmith-announces-tour/ . dead . March 8, 2022 . May 31, 2022.
  6. Web site: FitzPatrick . Hayley . March 17, 2022 . Watch Mandy Moore's star-studded music video for her new single, 'In Real Life' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220617203814/https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/watch-mandy-moores-star-studded-music-video-83501813 . June 17, 2022 . May 31, 2022 . Good Morning America.
  7. Aniftos. Rania. Wilmer Valderrama, Hilary Duff & More Stars Appear in Mandy Moore's 'In Real Life' Video. Billboard. March 18, 2022. May 31, 2022.
  8. In Real Life . March 18, 2022 . music video . English . YouTube . May 21, 2022 . Moore, Mandy.