Moss (Maya Hawke album)

On June 29, 2022, Hawke announced Moss alongside the release of the first single "Thérèse".[4] "Thérèse" was inspired by a Balthus painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called "Thérèse Dreaming".[5] Hawke has identified with the girl in the "Thérèse Dreaming" painting "who in my head is me" in the track.[6] Hawke cited Taylor Swift's album Folklore (2020) as an inspiration for the sound of Moss.[7]

According to a press release from Mom + Pop, Moss serves as "Hawke's meditation on rebirth and acceptance".[8]

Moss was released on September 23, 2022, as a digital download, for streaming, and on CD and vinyl LP formats. An exclusive release of Moss was also available from Urban Outfitters as a translucent pink vinyl LP.[9] A translucent orange LP is available from Maya Hawke's official website.[10]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.1/10[11]
Metacritic	71/100[12]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	8/10[13]
Dork	[14]
The Forty-Five	[15]
The Line of Best Fit	7/10[16]
NME	[17]
Pitchfork	7.2/10[18]
The Telegraph	[19]
Under the Radar	8/10[20]

Moss was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 71, based on 9 reviews.[12]

In a four star review, Rhian Daly of NME wrote that Moss is "fresh" and "presents Hawke in wiser form" both lyrically and sonically from her debut album Blush.[17] A review in The Forty-Five called the album was a "more confident and experimental departure" from Blush, praising Hawke's intimate vocal performance.[15] Vicky Greer of The Line of Best Fit identified "Thérèse" and "Bloomed Into Blue" as some of the best songs on the album, which she called a "gorgeous outing for Maya Hawke".[16]