Nervous System is the third extended play and major-label debut by American singer and songwriter Julia Michaels, released by Republic Records on July 28, 2017. Most of the tracks on the EP were composed by Michaels and her frequent writing partner, Justin Tranter, as well as the songs producers, Benny Blanco, Stargate and Mattman & Robin. Musically, it is a pop record and lyrically it explores a former romantic relationship of Michaels'. It is Michaels' first EP to have a commercial impact.
| Nervous System | ||||
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | July 28, 2017 | |||
| Recorded | January 2016; April – May 2017 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 21:55 | |||
| Label | Republic | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Julia Michaels chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Nervous System | ||||
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The album's first single, "Issues", was released on January 13, 2017, and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1] "Uh Huh", the second single from Nervous System, was released on June 2, 2017. "Worst in Me", the third single from the EP, was released on September 18, 2017.
Background and recording
editFrom 2013 to 2016, Julia Michaels became well known for writing songs for Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani and several other artists. When she wrote and recorded the song "Issues" in January 2016, after a fight with her boyfriend, she showed the song to Charlie Walk. Two months later, he signed her a record contract with Republic Records.[2] She had no idea that "Issues" would be a hit, so she decided to record the rest of her EP in April and May 2017.[3] She said to Music Choice:
"I did a mini-album because this is all very new to me, and I didn't wanna do an EP because I feel like that's too little. I feel like that's a chapter and I feel like an album is the book, and I'm not ready for the book".[3]
All the tracks of the EP are brand new songs, Michaels did not bring any rejected songs from other artists or old songs that she wrote.[3] Michaels composed most of the songs with her writing partner Justin Tranter and Stargate, Mattman & Robin and Benny Blanco produced and helped write the songs.
Songs and lyrical content
editThe record opens with the singer's lead single "Issues", a midtempo song talks about a relationship between people who have "issues", but love each other enough to work past them. The second single of the EP, "Uh Huh", is described by Mike Wass of Idolator as "brighter, bolder and more instant" than "Issues", as well labeling the chorus as "obscenely catchy".[4] In "Worst in Me" Michaels discusses a troubled relationship. Variety opined that the relationship described in the song is similar to the one in "Issues", but that in "Worst in Me", Michaels is "less hopeful about how it'll turn out".[5]
"Make It Up to You" is an uptempo dance-pop track that talks about Michaels' "wickedness" toward her lover, but in the end, she feels sorry for him. The fifth track on the record, "Just Do It" is a midtempo song that starts with a simple bass melody before incorporating elements such as synthesizers, percussion elements and guitars. "Pink" is described by Michaels as "the most twerky song of the album" and "very explanatory".[6] The last track, "Don't Wanna Think", is the only song on the record written entirely by Michaels and is a piano ballad that follows a basic sequence of F–C–Am–F as its chord progression.[7]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork | (6.6/10)[8] |
| Variety | (favourable)[9] |
| Allmusic | (favourable)[8] |
| AXS | (6.6/10)[10] |
Katherine St. Asaph, writing for Pitchfork, rated the EP 6.6 out of 10, writing that "the songs are refreshingly unique but their impact is varied." She complimented Michaels' "modest persona and writing style she likens to therapy."[8] Chris Willman of Variety wrote that the EP "reveals Michaels as a gifted enough singer and confession-inclined enough songwriter that leaving out the middleman was definitely the way to go." Willman called the EP "even more promising than her resume."[9] Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic called the EP a "seven-song set of forward-thinking pop."[11]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Issues" | 2:56 | ||
| 2. | "Uh Huh" |
| Mattman & Robin | 2:58 |
| 3. | "Worst in Me" |
| Mattman & Robin | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Make It Up to You" |
| Mattman & Robin | 3:35 |
| 5. | "Just Do It" |
| Mattman & Robin | 3:12 |
| 6. | "Pink" |
| Mattman & Robin | 2:48 |
| 7. | "Don't Wanna Think" | Michaels | Michaels | 2:59 |
| Total length: | 21:55 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Anxiety" (featuring Selena Gomez) |
|
| 3:30 |
| 9. | "What a Time" (featuring Niall Horan) |
|
| 2:53 |
| Total length: | 28:17 | |||
Personnel
editCredits adapted from the liner notes of Nervous System.
Recorded, engineered, mixed and mastered at
- Los Angeles, California (Westlake Studios, MXM Studios, Conway Studios, Henson Recording Studios)
- Suffolk, United Kingdom (Treehouse X Studios)
- New York City (Sterling Sound)
- Partille, Sweden (Studio Borgen)
- Stockholm, Sweden (Wolf Cousins Studios)
Performers and production
- Julia Michaels – vocals (all tracks); background vocals (2, 3, 4, 5, 6); production, piano (7)
- Benny Blanco – production, instrumentation, programming (1)
- Stargate – production, instrumentation, programming (1)
- Justin Tranter – background vocals (2, 5)
- Dave Schwerkolt – engineering (1)
- Chris Sclafani – engineering (1)
- Spike Stent – mixing (all tracks)
- Michael Freeman – assistant engineer mix (1)
- Geoff Swish – assistant engineer mix (1)
- Tom Coyne – mastering (1)
- Randy Merrill – mastering (all tracks)
- Mattman & Robin – production, programming, drums, bass, synths (2, 3, 4, 5, 6); percussion, claps (2, 3, 4, 5); piano (2, 3); toms (2); guitar (2, 4, 5); strings (5)
- Sam Holland – engineering (2, 5)
- Cory Bice – engineering (2, 5)
- Jeremy Lertola – assistant engineering (2, 5)
- Jon Sher – engineering (3, 6)
- Mattias Bylund – strings recording, strings editing, string arrangement, strings (3)
- Mattias Johansson – violin (3)
- Jungen B. Linderholm – cello (3)
- Benjamin Rice – recording (7)
Charts
edit| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[13] | 97 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[14] | 41 |
| New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[15] | 1 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16] | 24 |
| US Billboard 200[17] | 48 |
| US Digital albums (Billboard)[18] | 24 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[19] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Julia Michaels – Chart history: The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- ^ "Julia Michaels on Stepping Into Artist Role". YouTube. August 4, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Julia Michaels on Creating 'Nervous System'". YouTube. August 4, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
- ^ Mike Wass (June 1, 2017). "Julia Michaels' 'Uh Huh' Is Every Bit As Catchy As 'Issues' - Idolator". Idolator. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
- ^ Willman, Chris (30 July 2017). "Album Review: Julia Michaels' 'Nervous System'". Variety. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
- ^ "Julia Michaels Reveals Inspiration Behind Her Album" (Interview). YouTube. August 15, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
- ^ "Julia Michaels "Don't Wanna Think" Music Sheet". Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. August 4, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
- ^ a b c St. Asaph, Katherine. "Julia Michaels: Nervous System". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- ^ a b Willman, Chris (2017-07-30). "Album Review: Julia Michaels' 'Nervous System'". Variety. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- ^ Villa, Lucas (July 27, 2017). "Review: Julia Michaels, the pop star, comes alive on mini-album 'Nervous System'". axs.com. AXS.
- ^ "Nervous System - Julia Michaels | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- ^ "ナーヴァス・システム". Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #432". auspOp. August 5, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
- ^ "Julia Michaels Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. August 7, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Julia Michaels – Nervous System". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^ "Julia Michaels Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ "Julia Michaels: Billboard Digital Albums". billboard.com. Billboard. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Julia Michaels – Nervous System". Music Canada. Retrieved September 10, 2023.