IRL (album)

IRL (a short 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.[2] The album was inspired by the singer's "traumatic breakup" and her visits to "therapy".[3]

IRL
Studio album by
Mahalia
Released14 July 2023 (2023-07-14)
GenreR&B[1]
Length44:33
LabelWarner Music
Producer
Mahalia chronology
Love and Compromise
(2019)		 IRL
(2023)
Singles from IRL
  1. "Letter to Ur Ex"
    Released: 22 February 2022
  2. "Bag Of You"
    Released: 11 November 2022
  3. "Terms and Conditions"
    Released: 5 April 2023
  4. "Cheat"
    Released: 8 June 2023
  5. "Ready"
    Released: 7 July 2023

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.2/10[4]
Metacritic80/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
DIY[6]
The Line of Best Fit7/10[7]
NME[1]
The Skinny[8]

IRL received a score of 80 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[5] 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".[6] NME's 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".[1]

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".[7] 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".[8]

Track listing
IRL track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Ready"
  • Hart
  • JD Reid
  • Cameron Gower Poole[v]
3:01
2."In My Bag"
  • Burkmar
  • Abby-Lynn Keen
  • Paul Goller
  • Keven Wolfsohn
  • TheElements
  • Poole[v]
3:49
3."Terms and Conditions"
3:29
4."In My Head" (featuring Joyce Wrice)
  • Burkmar
  • Hart
  • Pope
  • Reid
  • Anthony Watts
  • Joyce Wrice
  • JD Reid
  • Poole[v]
3:30
5."Cheat" (featuring JoJo)
3:22
6."November" (featuring Stormzy)
  • Hart
  • JD Reid
  • Poole[v]
3:34
7."Hey Stranger"
  • Burkmar
  • Pope
  • Reid
  • JD Reid
  • Poole[v]
2:43
8."Isn't It Strange?"
2:43
9."It's Not Me, It's You" (featuring Destin Conrad)
  • Burkmar
  • Destin Conrad
  • Hart
  • Bernard Kawka
  • Pope
  • Reid
  • JD Reid
  • Poole[v]
3:45
10."Wassup" (featuring Kojey Radical)
  • JD Reid
  • Poole[v]
3:46
11."Lose Lose"
  • Burkmar
  • Hart
  • Pope
  • Reid
  • JD Reid
  • Poole[v]
3:24
12."Goodbyes"
  • Burkmar
  • Hart
  • Pope
  • Reid
  • JD Reid
  • Poole[v]
3:57
13."IRL"
  • Burkmar
  • Hart
  • Pope
  • Reid
  • JD Reid
  • Poole[v]
3:30
Total length:44:33
IRL (Deluxe) track listing
No.TitleLength
14."Slowly"3:08
15."Mani Pedi"3:11
16."Bag Of You"3:18
17."Terms and Conditions (Live) - Vevo Studio Performance"3:37
18."Letter to Ur Ex"2:15
19."Plastic Plants"3:20
Total length:63:22

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer.
  • ^{v] signifies a vocal producer.
  • ^[s] signifies a strings producer.

Personnel

Musicians

  • Mahalia – vocals
  • JD Reid – keyboards, programming (1, 4–13); drums (1, 4–10, 12, 13), additional vocals (5, 6, 9–11, 13)
  • Max Pope – bass guitar (1, 9, 13), guitar (1, 4–7, 9, 11–13)
  • Benjamin Stefan Hart – backing vocals (1, 6), additional vocals (9)
  • Abby-Lynn Keen – backing vocals (2)
  • TheElements – backing vocals (2), bass guitar (2, 3), drums (2, 3), guitar (2), keyboards (2, 3), programming (2, 3), strings (3)
  • Raye – backing vocals (3)
  • James McMillan – keyboards (3)
  • Joyce Wrice – vocals (4)
  • Rosie Danvers – string arrangement (5)
  • Spencer Stewart – string arrangement, programming, synthesizer (5)
  • Wired Strings[lower-alpha 1] – string orchestra (5)
  • JoJo – vocals (5)
  • Lea Vivyen – piano (6, 13)
  • Stormzy – vocals (6)
  • Daniel Traynor – keyboards, programming, synthesizer (8)
  • Destin Conrad – vocals (9)
  • James Essien – additional vocals (10)
  • Kojey Radical – vocals (10)
  • Cameron Dawson – bass guitar (11)

Technical

  • Stuart Hawkes – mastering
  • Geoff Swan – mixing
  • JD Reid – engineering (1, 4–12)
  • TheElements – engineering (2, 3)
  • Matt Barnes – engineering (3), vocal engineering (3, 4)
  • Spencer Stewart – engineering (5)
  • Grades – engineering (8)
  • Alex Robinson – vocal engineering (2)
  • Isabel Gracefield – string engineering (5)
  • James Kirk – additional vocal engineering (5)
  • Carlos Mas – additional vocal engineering (10)
  • Max Blue Churchill – vocal engineering assistance (3)
  • Max Anstruther – string engineering assistance (5)

Charts
Chart performance for IRL
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[9] 24
Scottish Albums (OCC)[10] 81
UK Albums (OCC)[11] 31
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[12] 2

Release history
Release dates and formats for IRL
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various 14 July 2023
Warner Music [13][14][15]

Notes
  1. Wired Strings consists of cellist Rosie Danvers, violists Bryony Mycroft and Meghan Cassidy, and violinists Ellie Stanford, Hayley Pomfrett, Jenny Sacha, Miles Brett, Patrick Kiernan, Sally Jackson, and Stephen Morris.

References
  1. Campbell, Erica (13 July 2023). "Mahalia: IRL review: bold, vulnerable, classic R&B". NME. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  2. "Mahalia Announces 'IRL' Album Release and UK Tour Dates". V13. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  3. "Lauren Spencer Smith Announces Debut Studio Album Mirror". NME. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  4. "Mahalia – IRL". AnyDecentMusic?. 14 July 2023.
  5. "IRL by Mahalia Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  6. Barton, Elle (13 July 2023). "Mahalia: IRL review". DIY. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  7. Dziri, Red (12 July 2023). "Mahalia: In Real Life Review". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  8. Fitzgerald, Lucy (10 July 2023). "Mahalia album review: IRL". The Skinny. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  9. "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 29. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  10. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  11. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  12. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  13. "IRL by Mahalia". Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  14. "IRL[VINYL]:Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl". Amazon Music. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  15. "IRL by Mahalia on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
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