Misery Lake (stylized in all lowercase) is the seventh EP by American singer Blackbear. It was released on August 13, 2021 through Beartrap, Alamo, and Columbia Records and follows his previous album Everything Means Nothing.[1][2][3] The EP was written and produced by Blackbear and frequent collaborator Andrew Goldstein and features appearances from Tate McRae, Sasha Alex Sloan, and Travis Barker. It was preceded by the singles "U Love U" with Tate McRae, released June 4, 2021, and "@ My Worst", released August 6, 2021.
| Misery Lake | ||||
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| Released | August 13, 2021 | |||
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| Length | 18:14 | |||
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| Producer |
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| Blackbear chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Misery Lake | ||||
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Background and composition
editMisery Lake was conceived and recorded alongside Everything Means Nothing in multiple Airbnb houses. As a way to cope with COVID-19 lockdowns, Blackbear continued writing and recording music that eventually became the EP.[1]
On the topics of heartbreak, loneliness, and isolation, Blackbear further described the background of the EP in an interview with Grammy.com:[1]
It's about isolation–it's basically about quarantine and how you can feel loopy and you can feel happy and you can feel horrible all at the same time. I really felt like I was in this imaginary place and I started tagging [the location of] my photos on Instagram as "Misery Island," "Misery Lake" and stuff like that, and I was like, you know what? I love that for a title.
— Blackbear
Critical reception
editPaul Simpson of AllMusic gave the EP a 2.5 out of 5 star-rating and wrote that Misery Lake "is strictly something to put on if you're in the mood for some pristinely crafted venting". He praised the songs "U Love U" and "@ My Worst".[4]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Alone In a Room Full of People" |
| 2:34 | |
| 2. | "@ My Worst" |
|
| 3:11 |
| 3. | "U Love U" (with Tate McRae) |
|
| 3:08 |
| 4. | "Ghost Town" (featuring Sasha Alex Sloan) |
|
| 3:07 |
| 5. | "IMU" (featuring Travis Barker) |
|
| 3:35 |
| 6. | "Bad Day" |
|
| 2:39 |
| Total length: | 18:14 | |||
- All song titles are stylized in lowercase letters.
Charts
edit| Chart (2021) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[5] | 102 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[6] | 86 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Blackbear Talks New EP 'Misery Lake,' Dream Collab With BTS, Making Music For His Mental Health & Fatherhood | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ Billboard Staff (2021-08-13). "Inside the World of Blackbear, Who Likes Being Everywhere At Once". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ Smith, Karl. "blackbear on the path that led from his emo roots to a new sonic lane". Alternative Press Magazine. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ misery lake - Blackbear | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-09-07
- ^ "Blackbear Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
- ^ "Blackbear Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2024.