Alien (Beam album)

Alien
Alien
Studio album by Beam
Released	4 February 2022
Genre	Dancehall; trap;
Length	60:10
Label	Epic
Producer	Adam MacDougall; Al Cres; Angelo Arce; Azul; Bass Charity; Beam; Ben Billions; BlakeSale; Boi-1da; Bongo; Cadenza; Cardo; Carlton McDowell; ChaseTheMoney; Compose; Cubeatz; Dim Cruz; Dutchboi; Gray Hawken; Jahaan Sweet; Johnny Juliano; Keanu Beats; Larrance Dopson; Nathan Butts; Pyrex; Reid Waters; SkipOnDaBeat; Skrillex; Smash David; Stephen Fealy III; Timmy; Wallis Lane; Yung Exclusive;
Beam chronology
Singles from Alien
	"Anxiety"; Released: 19 November 2021; "Win"; Released: 14 January 2022; "Planet Beam"; Released: 4 February 2022;

Alien is the debut studio album by Jamaican-American rapper and singer Beam. It was released on February 4, 2022 by Epic Records. The album features guest appearances from Vory, Zacari, Justin Bieber, Jorja Smith, Landstrip Chip, Papa San (Beam's father), and Valee. Production was handled by Beam himself, Al Cres, Dutchboi, Nathan Butts, Cubeatz, Pyrex, Smash David, Ben Billions, Cardo, Johnny Juliano, Yung Exclusive, BlakeSale, Bongo, Bass Charity, Azul, Gray Hawken, Angelo Arce, Cadenza, Wallis Lane, Stephen Fealy III, Timmy, Keanu Beats, Compose, ChaseTheMoney, Dim Cruz, Reid Waters, Skrillex, Larrance Dopson, Carlton McDowell, Adam MacDougall, Boi-1da, Jahaan Sweet, and SkipOnDaBeat. The album was executive produced by Beam himself, Al Cres, and Whetstone Ent. It was preceded by three singles: "Anxiety", "Win" and "Planet Beam".^[1]

Background

Speaking of Alien, Beam said:

I just want people to realize that they are not the only ones who feel alienated in life. Whether that's a good or bad thing, you have to walk a narrow road. You feel alienated because you discern a certain thing that people don't understand. You get to digest a piece of my brain and get to know me on an artistic level with this album.^[2]

Release and promotion

On November 12, 2021, Beam announced through social media that the album had been completed. The lead single, "Anxiety", was released exactly one week later, on November 19, 2021. The second single, "Win", was released on January 14, 2022. On February 1, 2022, he teased another song on the album, "Sundown", which features Canadian singer Justin Bieber. The next day, he revealed the album along with its cover art and release date. The tracklist was revealed the day before its release. The third single, "Planet Beam", was released on 4 February, 2022 along with the album.^[3]

Critical reception

Writing for DJBooth, Donna-Claire Chesman felt that "entering 'PLANET BEAM' means stepping into a world of discordant sounds that come together as the artist fuses dancehall, trap, and straight bars with danceability, adding that "ALIEN is an even wonkier evolution" as "BEAM darts between genres and sounds confident as ever".^[4] Attack the Culture wrote, "A true body of work, the album threads together an unpredictable trip through styles".^[5]

Track listing

*Alien* track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Pilot"	Tyshane Thompson	Al Cres Dutchboi Nathan Butts	1:43
2.	"Anxiety"	Tys. Thompson Almondo Cresso	Cubeatz Pyrex	2:16
3.	"30mgs" (featuring Vory)	Tys. Thompson Tavoris Hollins, Jr. Gabriel Tavarez	Smash David Ben Billions	3:32
4.	"Working"	Tys. Thompson Hollins	Cardo Johnny Juliano Yung Exclusive	2:32
5.	"Ice Cola"	Tys. Thompson Jordan Douglas	Beam Al Cres Dutchboi BlakeSale	2:56
6.	"Hurt People" (featuring Zacari)	Tys. Thompson Zacari Pacaldo Douglas	Bongo	3:38
7.	"Sundown" (featuring Justin Bieber)	Tys. Thompson Justin Bieber Jonathan Bezianis Sergio Escorcia, Jr. Douglas	Al Cres Dutchboi Bass Charity Azul Gray Hawken	3:43
8.	"Conscience" (featuring Jorja Smith)	Tys. Thompson Jorja Smith Oliver Rodigan Douglas	Al Cres Angelo Arce Cadenza Wallis Lane	3:14
9.	"Win"	Tys. Thompson Douglas Omar Souffrant	BlakeSale Stephen Fealy III Timmy	2:49
10.	"Akira Pt. 1 & 2" (featuring Landstrip Chip)	Tys. Thompson Jordan Holt-May	Cardo Dutchboi Butts BlakeSale Keanu Beats	4:16
11.	"2nd Samuel" (featuring Papa San)	Tys. Thompson Tyrone Thompson Tamry Curry Douglas	Al Cres Dutchboi Butts	3:24
12.	"Friends"	Tys. Thompson Tasan Thompson Ashante Reid	Al Cres Butts BlakeSale Cadenza Compose	3:25
13.	"Blood Money"	Tys. Thompson Douglas	Al Cres BlakeSale ChaseTheMoney	2:33
14.	"Hi Tech" (featuring Valee)	Tys. Thompson Valee Taylor Douglas	ChaseTheMoney	3:12
15.	"PDF"	Tys. Thompson Thomas Pentz Adidja Palmer Nick van de Wall David Taylor	Beam Al Cres	2:08
16.	"Pu$$y Dream"	Tys. Thompson Douglas Bezianis Simon Plummer	Dutchboi Dim Cruz Reid Waters	2:44
17.	"Oh Sleep"	Tys. Thompson Escorcia Plummer Andrew Thompson	Beam Azul	2:32
18.	"Blessings"	Tys. Thompson Douglas Dimitri McDowell	Skrillex Larrance Dopson Al Cres Carlton McDowell Adam MacDougall	3:00
19.	"Planet Beam"	Tys. Thompson Sean Myers	Boi-1da Al Cres Bongo Jahaan Sweet SkipOnDaBeat	6:22
Total length:				60:10

Notes

All tracks are stylized in all caps.

Sample credits

"PDF" contains samples from "Pon de Floor", written by Thomas Pentz, Adidja Palmer, and Nick van de Wall, as performed by Diplo featuring Vybz Kartel and Afrojack.

References

^ Aron A. (February 4, 2022). "BEAM Shares His New Album "Alien" Ft. Justin Bieber, Jorja Smith & More". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
^ "Best New Tracks: Saba, Nicki Minaj x Lil Baby More". Hypebeast. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
^ Bartee, Richardine (February 3, 2022). "Miami-based Jamaican artist BEAM's debut album 'ALIEN' features Justin Bieber". Grungecake. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
^ Chesman, Donna-Claire (February 5, 2022). "5 New Albums You Need to Hear This Week on Audiomack". DJBooth. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
^ "Beam is out of this world with his new 'Alien' album finally out". Attack the Culture. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.

[1] Aron A. (February 4, 2022). "BEAM Shares His New Album "Alien" Ft. Justin Bieber, Jorja Smith & More". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved February 4, 2022.

[2] "Best New Tracks: Saba, Nicki Minaj x Lil Baby More". Hypebeast. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.

[3] Bartee, Richardine (February 3, 2022). "Miami-based Jamaican artist BEAM's debut album 'ALIEN' features Justin Bieber". Grungecake. Retrieved February 4, 2022.

[4] Chesman, Donna-Claire (February 5, 2022). "5 New Albums You Need to Hear This Week on Audiomack". DJBooth. Retrieved February 5, 2022.

[5] "Beam is out of this world with his new 'Alien' album finally out". Attack the Culture. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.

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