The Masquerade (album) explained

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.

Background

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.

Critical reception

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

Track listing

Notes

• All track titles are stylized in all lowercase.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.^[7]

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

Charts

Chart (2019)! scope="col"

Peak position
US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[8]	12
US Top Independent Albums (Billboard)[9]	45

Notes and References

1. . mxmtoon at Paste Studio NYC live from The Manhattan Center. November 14, 2019. YouTube. en. 2019-11-17.
2. Web site: mxmtoon Discusses 'dawn,' Shares Her One-Album Social Distancing Soundtrack. Wallock. Matt. American Songwriter. April 23, 2020. October 30, 2020.
3. Spotify Follows '21 Days' in the Life of Up-and-Coming Singer-Songwriter mxmtoon in New Music Podcast. Eggertsen. Chris. September 12, 2019. Billboard. September 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190913045424/https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/streaming/8529737/spotify-mxmtoon-podcast-21-days. September 13, 2019. live.
4. Web site: Dredge. Stuart. September 13, 2019. Spotify launches a podcast about musician mxmtoon. Musically. September 14, 2019.
5. Web site: mxmtoon Reveals Her Alter Ego — Open Up. October 11, 2019. Urban Outfitters. YouTube. November 8, 2019.
6. Web site: mxmtoon Leaps From Online To Make Her Debut. Lonsdorf. Kat. September 17, 2019. NPR. December 23, 2019.
7. Web site: the masquerade / mxmtoon. Tidal. November 1, 2019.
8. Heatseekers Albums - Week of Dec. 14th, 2019. Billboard.
9. Independent Albums - Week of Sept. 28, 2019. Billboard.