Chaos Angel
| Chaos Angel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 31, 2024 | |||
| Length | 35:32 | |||
| Label | Mom + Pop | |||
| Producer | Christian Lee Hutson | |||
| Maya Hawke chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Chaos Angel | ||||
| ||||
Chaos Angel is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter and actress Maya Hawke. It was released on May 31, 2024 via Mom + Pop.
Background
[edit]In October 2023, Hawke sung alongside her father Ethan Hawke on a cover of the Willie Nelson song "We Don't Run" from his 1996 album Spirit.[1]
On February 14, 2024, alongside the debut of single "Missing Out", it was announced that Chaos Angel would be releasing May 31, 2024.[2]
Writing and recording
[edit]On Chaos Angel, Hawke reunites with regular contributors Christian Lee Hutson, Benjamin Lazar Davis and Will Graefe who she worked with on Moss. Hawke says that her third LP is an "altogether happier album" than its predecessor Moss.[1] Hawke cited James Blake and Adrianne Lenker as musical influences on Chaos Angel.[3] Most of Chaos Angel was recorded before Hawke shot the film Wildcat in January and February 2023, except the closing title track that was written and recorded after principal photography on Wildcat had concluded.[4]
"Dark" was written when Hawke was experiencing a period of severe anxiety about falling asleep.[5] With fears that "my brain would forget how to breathe and I would die in my sleep", Hawke saw a doctor who told her that she "had to become okay with dying".[6] The track's chorus was written before the release of Moss but was set aside as Hawke said it "felt too real to me to finish that song and put it on that record".[5]
Release and promotion
[edit]The first single from Chaos Angel to be released was the alt-pop track "Missing Out" on February 14, 2024.[7] The track deals with Hawke's experience of living near Brown University where her younger brother attended college.[7] She partied with his classmates in an attempt to capture the formative college experience she never had.[1] She recalled feeling in "a different place in my life than these people I was around".[8] In a review for Exclaim!, Karlie Rogers called the track "a captivating, dizzying portrait, painted with careful precision".[9] The music video for "Missing Out" was directed by Alex Ross Perry.[10] On February 28, Hawke performed "Missing Out" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[11]
On March 14, 2024, Hawke announced that the second single to be released from Chaos Angel would be "Dark" on March 20.[12]
"Hang In There" was released as the third single from Chaos Angel on April 24, 2024.[13] The track deals with supporting a friend who has been in a toxic relationship while acknowledging "the restraint required when you can't intervene for fear of being pushed away".[14][15] According to Dork, "Hang In There" evokes singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell.[15]
Critical reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.4/10[16] |
| Metacritic | 81/100[17] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [18] |
| Far Out | [19] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 9/10[20] |
| Under the Radar | 8/10[21] |
Chaos Angel received a score of 81 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, which the website categorized as "universal acclaim".[17] Andy Von Pip's review for Under the Radar called Chaos Angel Hawke's "most intricate and thematically rich work yet".[21]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Black Ice" | 4:44 | |
| 2. | "Dark" |
| 3:13 |
| 3. | "Missing Out" |
| 3:37 |
| 4. | "Wrong Again" |
| 3:37 |
| 5. | "Okay" |
| 3:58 |
| 6. | "Better" |
| 1:18 |
| 7. | "Big Idea" | M. Hawke | 3:42 |
| 8. | "Hang In There" |
| 3:57 |
| 9. | "Promise" |
| 2:50 |
| 10. | "Chaos Angel" |
| 4:36 |
| Total length: | 35:32 | ||
Personnel
[edit]Musicians
- Maya Hawke – lead vocals
- Will Graefe – electric guitar (tracks 1–6, 10), vocals (1, 4, 5), acoustic guitar (2–4)
- Christian Lee Hutson – Mellotron (tracks 1, 2, 8–10), electric guitar (1, 3, 5, 9), vocals (1, 5, 9, 10), acoustic guitar (2, 5, 6, 8, 9), piano (3, 4, 6, 8, 10); bass, drums, slide guitar (6); organ (9)
- Benjamin Lazar Davis – synthesizer (tracks 1, 8), bass (2, 3, 5, 8, 10), vocals (2, 5), drums (2), double bass (10)
- Eliza Lamb – vocals (tracks 1, 2)
- Michael Riddleberger – drums (1, 3, 4)
- Levon Hawke – vocals (track 1)
- Fiona Agger – vocals (track 1)
- Sadie Sink – vocals (track 1)
- Jesse Harris – vocals (track 1)
- Shahzad Ismaily – synthesizer (track 3), bass (4)
- Chris Votek – cello (tracks 5, 10)
- Zach Dellinger – viola, violin (tracks 5, 10)
- Luanne Homzy – viola, violin (tracks 5, 10)
- Paul Cartwright – viola, violin (tracks 5, 10)
- Jonathan Low – percussion (track 6)
- Marshall Vore – drums (track 8)
Technical
- Christian Lee Hutson – production
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Steve Fallone – mastering
- Jonathan Low – mixing
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Dunworth, Liberty (February 15, 2024). "Maya Hawke announces new album 'Chaos Angel' with reflective single 'Missing Out'". NME. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ Paul, Larisha (February 14, 2024). "Maya Hawke Knows Everything and Nothing at All on New Single 'Missing Out'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ Scott, H. Alan (May 24, 2024). "For Maya Hawke's New Album 'Chaos Angel,' It's All About the Lyrics". Newsweek. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ Parker, Lyndsey (May 30, 2024). "Music Is in Maya Hawke's Wise Blood". Flood Magazine. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Walker, Sophie Leigh (May 20, 2024). "Maya Hawke's necessary acts of chaos". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ Madarang, Charisma (March 20, 2024). "Maya Hawke Calls 'Dark' a 'Cut and Dry' Song About New Love". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Hatfield, Amanda (February 14, 2024). "Maya Hawke announces new LP 'Chaos Angel,' shares "Missing Out"". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Ackroyd, Stephen (February 14, 2024). "Maya Hawle Has Announced Her New Album, 'Chaos Angel'". Dork. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Rogers, Karlie (February 16, 2024). "Maya Hawke Keeps a Tally of Regrets on "Missing Out"". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew (February 14, 2024). "Maya Hawke Announces Album, Shares Video for New Song "Missing Out": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ Ragusa, Paolo (March 1, 2024). "Maya Hawke Performs "Missing Out" on Fallon: Watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ Jacob, Lola (March 14, 2024). "Maya Hawke announces new single 'Dark' out next week". Coup de Main. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ Garvey, Marianne (April 24, 2024). "Maya Hawke releases new single ahead of her third album". CNN. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (April 24, 2024). "Maya Hawke supports a friend through a toxic relationship on new single, "Hang In There"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ a b Harrison, Dan (April 24, 2024). "Maya Hawke Has Shared Her Latest 'Chaos Angel Preview, 'Hang In There'". Dork. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ "Chaos Angel by Maya Hawke Reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ a b "Chaos Angel by Maya Hawke". Metacritic. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Donelson, Marcy. "Chaos Angel by Maya Hawke". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ Harbron, Lucy (May 30, 2024). "Maya Hawke – Chaos Angel album review: best at its biggest". Far Out. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ Perdoni, Amy (May 30, 2024). "Maya Hawke becomes her own saviour on Chaos Angel". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Von Pip, Andy (May 31, 2024). "Maya Hawke: Chaos Angel (Mom + Pop) - review". Under the Radar. Retrieved June 2, 2024.