''Ego Death'' is the third studio album by American
R&B band
the Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
. It was released on June 26, 2015, through
Odd Future
Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF, was an American Hip hop music, hip-hop Musical collective, music collective formed in Los Angeles County, California in 2007. The original members were Ty ...
and distributed by
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. The album was supported by the singles "Special Affair" and "Girl". ''Ego Death'' was nominated at the
2016 Grammy Awards
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 201 ...
for
Best Urban Contemporary Album
The Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for quality works on albums in the urban contemporary subgenre within the R&B field. Honors in several categories are presented at t ...
.
Promotion
The album's
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
, "Special Affair", was released on June 2, 2015. The album's second single, "Girl", was released on June 23, 2015. The song features a
guest appearance
In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...
from Haitian-Canadian DJ and record producer
Kaytranada
Louis Kevin Celestin (born August 25, 1992), known professionally as Kaytranada (stylized as KAYTRANADA, shortened as KAYTRA), is a Haitian-Canadian record producer and DJ. Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of mixtapes, remixes, ...
.
Critical reception
''Ego Death'' was met with widespread critical acclaim. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
score of 81, based on 11 reviews.
[ Aggregator ]AnyDecentMusic?
AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates album reviews from magazines, websites, and newspapers. Primarily focused on popular music – covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – albums are adjudg ...
gave it 7.1 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
Andy Kellman of AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
said, "The majority of ''Ego Death'' is tighter. Bennett has refined her songwriting without reducing the candid approach that colors her past compositions. Additionally, the tangents are fewer and more substantive". Pat Levy of ''Consequence
Consequence may refer to:
* Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment''
* In operant conditioning, a result of some behavior
* Consequentialism, a theory in philosophy in which the morality of an act is determi ...
'' said, "In addition to their more fully formed sound, one of the more exciting things about The Internet is the music's point of view". Michael J. Warren of ''Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' said, "''Ego Death'' frees the Internet from Odd Future
Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF, was an American Hip hop music, hip-hop Musical collective, music collective formed in Los Angeles County, California in 2007. The original members were Ty ...
connotations and R&B norms; it's their best work yet". Tshepo Mokoena of ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' said, "There's wit and honestly behind her observations of courting and heartbreak, making her pinhole focus on love more about nuance than navel-gazing. It's just as well the band stayed together". Ronald Grant of ''HipHopDX
''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
...
'' said, "''Ego Death'' is an album both suited specifically for the social media age of music listeners but simultaneously rich and permeated with the traditions of the soul and R&B music of the past".
Jon Caramanica
Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, Caramanica received his ba ...
of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' said, "There's convincing thump at work here, but not so much as to overwhelm the lustrous keyboards, the nuzzling bass, the way several of the songs unfurl like blooming roses". Sean Fennell of ''PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' said, "''Ego Death'' and The Internet require a little bit of patience, but if you are willing to give it a full go, it will reward you with one of the most interesting albums in recent memory". Patrick Taylor of ''RapReviews'' said, "''Ego Death'' is the perfect summer record. Breezy, smooth, lazy, and meant for warm nights". Craig Jenkins of ''Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' said, "The Internet's songs have always felt like scenes of salaciousness happening just out of earshot. ''Ego Death'' finally pulls us into the maelstrom". Suzy Exposito of ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' said, "The best tracks fade away into gravity-defying instrumental outros that make Syd's heartache feel sublimely serene".
Industry awards
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
The Internet
* Syd – lead vocals, production , keys , synths , background vocals , recording , executive production, mixing
* Matt Martians
Matthew Martin (born September 12, 1988), better known by his stage name Matt Martians, is an American record producer, illustrator, singer, and songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. Aside from his solo career, Martians was a founding member of Los ...
– production , drums , synths , background vocals , recording , executive production, design
* Patrick Paige II – bass , production , drums , guitar
* Christopher Allan Smith – drums , production , percussion , recording , mixing
* Jameel Bruner – production , keys , additional synths , additional organ , background vocals
* Steve Lacy – production , bass , guitar , featured artist , executive production
Additional personnel
* Cisco Adler
Cisco Sam Adler (born September 6, 1978) is an American musician and record producer.
Personal life
Cisco is married to fashion model Barbara Stoyanoff; they have one child. He is the son of legendary record and film producer Lou Adler.
Care ...
– production , guitar , recording
* Brandon Combs – drums
* Jimmy Douglass
Jimmy Douglass, also known as "The Senator", is an American recording engineer and record producer. His career has spanned more than four decades.
Career
In the early 1970s at Atlantic Records studios in New York City, he started his studio ca ...
– mixing
* James Fauntleroy
James Edward Fauntleroy II (born May 16, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Inglewood, California. He is best known for writing credits on tracks by high-profile artists such as Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, Kendrick ...
– featured artist
* Durand Ferebee Jr. – background vocals
* Christopher Goldsmith for The Highlights – production , drums
* Nick Green – background vocals , vocal production
* Kaytranada
Louis Kevin Celestin (born August 25, 1992), known professionally as Kaytranada (stylized as KAYTRANADA, shortened as KAYTRA), is a Haitian-Canadian record producer and DJ. Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of mixtapes, remixes, ...
– featured artist , production
* Brian Kennedy – production
* Dave Kutch – mastering
* Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe Robinson (; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, rapper and actress. She is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as to her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society. Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Monà ...
– featured artist , additional vocals
* Daniel "Bambaata" Marley – production , guitar
* Vic Mensa
Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense) ...
– featured artist
* Xavier McHugh – recording , percussion
* Nicky Davey – production
* Dave Rosser – guitar
* Tay Walker
Taylor Walker (born November 27, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Inglewood, California. Taylor performed as a writer, keyboardist and vocalist on The Internet's debut album '' Purple Naked Ladies'' as well as p ...
– background vocals
* Tyler, the Creator
Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future.
Okonma self-released his debut mixtape Bast ...
– featured artist , production
Charts
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2015 albums
The Internet (band) albums
Odd Future Records albums
Albums produced by Kaytranada
Albums produced by Steve Lacy
Albums produced by Syd tha Kyd