Watching Movies with the Sound Off

On October 14, 2012, Miller announced that his second album, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, would be released in early 2013.[1][2] The album title is derived from Miller's habit of making music in the studio while watching films on mute.[3] When speaking of the album Miller said that it is "very introspective and very personal so it's kind of throwing it all out there and seeing what happens".[4]

The album's cover artwork was released via Miller's website on May 8, 2013. The cover art features Miller sitting nude at a table, his convenient placement of the "Parental Advisory" avoiding any indecent exposure. The minimalistic cover has an apple sitting on the table, a flower-bearing ornament, and a golden cherub hanging from the ceiling.[5] The cover art was designed by Miller McCormick. Complex ranked the cover at number 21 on their list of best album covers of 2013.[6]

Mac Miller was the album's primary record producer, under his pseudonym Larry Fisherman.

Miller estimated that he recorded over 400 songs during the process of making the album.[7] The majority were recorded in his home studio at his house in Los Angeles, California.[8] On September 1, 2012, Miller released another free song called "PlaneCarBoat" which features West Coast rapper Schoolboy Q and was produced by himself.[9]

Miller originally confirmed features on the album to include Schoolboy Q, Earl Sweatshirt, Ab-Soul, Cam'ron, Tyler, the Creator, Action Bronson, Casey Veggies, Kid Cudi, Gucci Mane and Loaded Lux.[10][7][11] Miller and Schoolboy Q recorded nine songs during the album's recording process, of which only one made the album.[10] He told MTV that Thundercat and Snoop Dogg would perform the outro on the album.[12] The track listing was released on May 25, 2013, and revealed guest appearances on the album to include Earl Sweatshirt, Ab-Soul, Action Bronson, Schoolboy Q, Jay Electronica, Tyler, the Creator, Loaded Lux, Vinny Radio and Niki Randa.[13] Miller said Jay Electronica's verse would be the last addition to the album, as he had received the verse only two hours before he was set to master the album.[14]

This is the first album where Miller self-produced a large chunk of it under his alias Larry Fisherman. He said he was very self-conscious of his production on the album.[2] The album's production was also handled by Pharrell Williams, Chuck Inglish, The Alchemist, Clams Casino, Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler, the Creator, Flying Lotus, J. Hill and Diplo among others.[12][7][15][16][17]

In late 2012, Miller confirmed an early 2013 release date for the album.[18] In a March 1, 2013, interview with MTV, Miller announced that he was close to finishing the album and that he would be releasing music videos in a few weeks.[12] In late March 2013, Miller announced a release date of either May or June 2013, and said that the album was one song away from completion. He turned the album in to the label in late April 2013.[19] On May 2, he announced via Ustream and Twitter that the album would be released on June 18, 2013.[20]

Odd Future sub-group The Internet accompanied Mac Miller as his live band, for the duration of The Space Migration Tour.

Miller released an iTunes exclusive EP entitled You under the name Larry Lovestein & The Velvet Revival on November 21, 2012.[21] Soon after he announced his plans to release 92 Til Infinity with DJ Jazzy Jeff in early 2013 prior to the release of Watching Movies with the Sound Off. However this release and his EP with Pharrell would be delayed till after the album.[22] On March 4, 2013, Miller released a new mixtape solely featuring instrumentals made by himself titled Run-On Sentences Vol. 1 under his production alias "Larry Fisherman".[23] All these projects were released in promotion of the album.

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.9/10[43]
Metacritic	73/100[44]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[45]
Consequence	C+[46]
Entertainment Weekly	B[47]
Exclaim!	8/10[48]
HipHopDX	4.0/5[49]
NME	7/10[50]
Pitchfork	7.0/10[51]
Rolling Stone	[52]
The Source	4/5[53]
XXL	4/5[54]

Watching Movies with the Sound Off was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 73, based on 17 reviews.[44] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[43]

David Renshaw of NME said, "It's hard not to notice that the production outshines the delivery, with Pharrell and Diplo beats topped only by the slick 'SDS' courtesy of Brainfeeder boss Flying Lotus. At least it all diverts attention from that naked album cover, mind".[50] David Jeffries of AllMusic stated, "Without the hooks or the lofty lyrics, the album seems made exclusively for Miller's fans or those who right-click indie rap mixtape links on the daily. Those audiences should find it an interesting trip, admirable artistic growth, and an attractive, entertaining step in the right direction. Others will likely be flummoxed".[45]

Sean Ryon of XXL commented saying, "Despite the disparity of styles, the album's sequencing affords it a greater sense of cohesion. Listeners will have little trouble transition between the booming "Watching Movies" and more subdued affairs like "Suplexes Inside of Complexes And Duplexes". This is due to Mac's excellent production throughout as Larry Fisherman".[54] Nick Catucci of Rolling Stone stated, "On Watching Movies, he tosses in a chain saw: punch-drunk slow-and-arty beats he produced with Diplo, Flying Lotus and his pal Earl Sweatshirt. The often mesmerizing production may be a crafty way of distancing himself from Cheesy Mac, the party rapper responsible for the irresistible bro-down "Donald Trump"".[52]

Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly said, ""Objects in the Mirror" and "Aquarium" are surprisingly self-reflective, but the dumb-fun party jams are half as infectious as before, and twice as misogynistic".[47] Chayne Japal of Exclaim! stated, "Mac Miller emphatically joins a higher tier of rap artists with Watching Movies, an effort that at once silences his detractors and rewards his faithful following".[48] Mike Madden of Consequence stated that, "Watching Movies is Miller's most enduring, and endearing, project yet. I won't be worried if he decides to overhaul his sound again someday – I trust his artistic acumen now – but it would be nice to see him run with the aesthetic he found here".[46] Craig Jenkins of Pitchfork said, "Watching Movies with the Sound Off is a quantum leap in artistry, but it's not without faults; the album's about three songs too long, and a couple of the tracks in the back end just plain run together".[51]

In its first week of release, Watching Movies with the Sound Off sold 102,000 copies in the United States, debuting at number three on the Billboard 200.[60] In its second week, the album dropped to number 14 on the chart, selling 23,000 more copies, bringing its two-week total album sales to 125,000 copies.[61] In its third week, the album dropped to number 23 on the chart, selling an additional 13,000 copies.[62] In its fourth week, the album dropped to number 24 on the chart, selling 10,000 more copies.[63] As of September 2015, the album has sold 250,000 copies in the United States.[64]

Watching Movies with the Sound Off earned 11,000 album-equivalent units in the week following Miller's death on September 7, 2018, allowing the album to re-enter the Billboard 200 at number 59.[65] On April 26, 2019, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales and streams in excess of 500,000 units in the United States.[66]

Notes

• "Red Dot Music" features additional vocals by Loaded Lux
• "Suplexes Inside of Complexes and Duplexes" features additional vocals by Jay Electronica
• "Someone Like You" features vocals by Nylo

Sample credits

• "Matches" contains a sample of "Twin of Myself" as performed by Black Moth Super Rainbow, written by Thomas Fec.
• "Red Dot Music" contains a sample of "A Heart's Desire" as performed by Camel, written by Andrew Latimer and Susan Hoover.
• "Watching Movies" contains a sample of "You Are Dead" as performed by The End of Science, written by Gregory Mauro.
• "Remember" contains a sample of "Swept Away" as performed by The xx, written by Oliver Sim, James Smith, and Romy Croft.
• "Someone Like You" contains a sample of "Someone Like You" as performed by Nylo, written by Jose Lopez, Fabian Ordorica, Frank Stallworth, and Andrea Landis.
• "Aquarium" contains a sample of "Powa" as performed by Tune-Yards from the album Whokill, written by Merrill Garbus.
• "Goosebumpz" contains a sample of "Bulgarian Chicks" as performed by Balkan Beat Box, written by Ori Kaplan, Tamir Muskat, and Vlada Tomova.

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[67]