Mike Posner is probably a write-off for many. Understandably, he went out of the spotlight after the glow of his hit song "Cooler Than Me" faded away. His subsequent projects were scrapped by his record label, and Posner songs were not heard on the radio. That is, not songs of his own; he wrote "Sugar" for Maroon 5 and "Boyfriend" for Justin Bieber. Those who know Posner’s story will find the lyrics on his new album, “At Night, Alone.” extremely pertinent.
Posner released a four track EP titled “The Truth” before releasing a full album. One of the songs from this EP, "I Took A Pill In Ibiza", was remixed by producer duo Seeb and smashed the charts in Europe and then the United States. This is full of irony considering the context of the song, however this catapulted Posner back into the spotlight. “At Night, Alone.” was released in May of 2016.
The album opens with a short intro track with no instrumentals. Posner says, “This album is best listened to at night, and alone.” This album is not your average pop album to be played on the radio. It is full of eloquent instrumentals and lyrics. It is intended to be listened to in a focused environment, not a party. This is not the first time Posner has instructed listener on how to listen to his work. On his mixtape, “The Layover,” instructions are in parenthesis next to the song title. For instance, "21 Days (Chill to This)".
The first musical track is "I Took A Pill In Ibiza". As soon as the first guitar chords are played, and Posner sings the first line, “I took a pill in Ibiza, to show Avicii I was cool,” the tone of the album is set. Unlike its radio remix counterpart, "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" is more focused on the lyrics rather than the instrumental. The song is slow and heartfelt; a great opening track.
The next track, "Not That Simple,” is one of my favorites. It was included on “The Truth” EP, so I have listened to it quite a lot. Not That simple reveal thoughts about a girl that are still in Posner’s head. I think a lot of people can relate to the emotion conveyed in this song. Not just that, but the chorus and backing piano are very catchy. The subsequent track, “Be As You Are,” is a pretty straight forward story about being yourself even when that is a scary thing to do.
The songs “In The Arms Of A Stranger", and "Silence”, bring a new layer of intensity to the album. They are a bit slow, but the choruses hit you with powerful instrumental and lyrics. To describe this part of the album in a few words: emotional, powerful and descriptive.
The next sequence of songs bring some of the best writing on the album. "Iris" is another song about a love that never lasted. The following lines are some of Posner’s most beautiful work:
Oh, I watched her go
After she planted her love in the top soil
And from the top soil and iris bloomed
It was pretty in May, but it died in June
"Only God Knows" is a song that, at first, was a bit strange to me. The song is a capella, with Posner repeatedly, and powerfully belting out “Only god knows”. The song is sung in more of a spoken word poetry style, and beautifully tells the story of the death of a friend and mentor. Next is another wild card song called "Jade". "Jade" uses electric guitar and distorted to vocals. The song seems uncharacteristic of the album, but is a nice addition. We do not know if Posner actually “met a girl named Jade”, or if she is a metaphor for the story.
The closing tracks bring a candid look at Posner’s journey. "One Hell Of A Song" looks at Posner’s confidence in his own song writing, despite his label telling him otherwise. We also learn of a rejected record deal by Jay Z. "Buried In Detroit" wraps things up nicely, with Posner telling us that despite traveling the word, he would like to be buried his hometown.
Critics of At Night, Alone. say that there are no songs capable of rising on the charts and becoming hits. However this was not the point of this album. At Night, Alone is a sobering look at falling from fame, heartbreak, and finding your inner self. The lyrics of the album convey these themes of Posner’s life very well. The album is intended to be listened to at night, and alone, and that’s exactly how it should be.
