Two Star & the Dream Police
| Two Star & the Dream Police | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 9, 2024 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:18 | |||
| Label | R&R | |||
| Producer |
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| Mk.gee chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Two Star & the Dream Police | ||||
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Two Star & the Dream Police is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist Mk.gee, released on February 9, 2024, through R&R. The album was supported by five singles: "Candy", "How Many Miles",[1] "Are You Looking Up", "You Got It",[2] and "Dream Police".[3]
The album received critical acclaim, with particular praise for the lyrical content, production, and Mk.gee's musical growth and vocal performances.
Background[edit]
Two Star & the Dream Police is Mk.gee's first release since his debut mixtape A Museum of Contradiction in 2020. In 2021, before working on the album, Mk.gee collaborated with musician Dijon, serving as co-writer and co-producer on his debut studio album Absolutely. Since then, Dijon has been Mk.gee's frequent collaborator.[4]
Singles[edit]
The album was preceded by the release of five singles. "Candy" and How Many Miles" were released together as the double lead single to the then-unannounced album on August 11, 2023.[1] Will Schube of FLOOD Magazine described the former as a "funk-leaning lo-fi pop jam filled with psychedelic guitar squiggles and a magnificent use of vocoder" and the latter as an R&B-inspired song that "showcases [Mk.gee]'s gifts as a songwriter and vocalist."[1] Joshua Minsoo Kim of Rolling Stone analyzed "How Many Miles" as a song about "feeling lost and finding yourself" and deemed it the album's highlight.[5] Brady Brickner-Wood of Pitchfork praised the song and said, "No song better illustrates Mk.gee's gifts than 'How many miles.'"[6]
On October 20, 2023, Mk.gee released another double single "Are You Looking Up" and "You Got It".[2] Both songs were met with critical praise, with Dazed including the former in its list of "20 best tracks of 2023", placing it at number 12,[7] while the latter being named the 26th best song of the year by The Fader.[8]
On January 19, 2024, the album's fifth single "Dream Police" was released, followed by the announcement of the album release date and title.[3]
Composition[edit]
Musically, Two Star & the Dream Police has been described by Hypebeast as a "genre-surfing bedroom pop that's lo-fi yet bright [and] intimate yet expansive" record with elements of indie and alternative.[4]
Critical reception[edit]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 83/100[11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 8/10[9] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10[10] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10[6] |
| Rolling Stone |   [5] |
Upon release, Two Star & the Dream Police was met with acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 83, based on four reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[11]
Reviewing for Clash, Ana Lamond wrote, "There is an immersive quality across the tracklist that instantly strikes through. Each track is submerged in a nocturnal wash of acoustics, playful in its use of distance, textures and melody. [...] Sonically, Two Star & The Police is able to defy the traditional conventions of a ballad, whilst reaching into a magnetic vulnerability through [Mk.gee]'s pen.[9] Max Gayler of The Line of Best Fit praised the album, highlighting the lyrical content, production and Mk.gee's vocals, and wrote, "Clocking in at just over 33 minutes, these 12 songs carry the weight of an artistry so well studied and expertly executed.[10] Pitchfork's writer Brady Brickner-Wood called it a "magnificent debut album", lauding its production and vocal performances, and said, "the magic of [the album is that] nothing in contemporary music sounds quite like it, yet it seems to have always been with us, hovering just outside the realm of possibility."[6]
Promotion and tours[edit]
After the release of the two lead singles, Mk.gee announced a 5-show tour called Inside Each of Us Are Two Stars, which included shows in Brooklyn (October 16 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg), Toronto (October 18 at the Great Hall), Chicago (October 21 at the Lincoln Hall), Los Angeles (November 1 at the Roxy Theatre), and San Francisco (November 3 at Rickshaw Stop).[12] On February 16, Mk.gee held a one-night live show in London. The show was originally set to be held at Oslo Hackney, but was moved to the EartH Hall, a larger venue, due to high demand.[13][14][15]
On February 24, 2024, Mk.gee made an appearance at the Jil Sander Fall Winter 2024 Runaway Show in Milan, performing "How Many Miles", "Alesis" and "Dream Police", alongside Benji B.[16] On April 11, 2024, Mk.gee performed "Are You Looking Up" on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, marking his debut performance on television.[17]
Mk.gee has embarked on a longer, 18-show tour in North America to promote Two Star & the Dream Police. The tour began on April 23, 2024, in San Diego, California and will conclude on May 19, 2024, in Boston, Massachusetts.[18][19]
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 23, 2024 | San Diego | United States | Music Box |
| April 24, 2024 | Los Angeles | The Fonda Theatre | |
| April 25, 2024 | |||
| April 27, 2024 | San Francisco | Great American Music Hall | |
| April 29, 2024 | Portland | Revolution Hall | |
| April 30, 2024 | Vancouver | Canada | The Biltmore |
| May 1, 2024 | Seattle | United States | Neumos |
| May 3, 2024 | Salt Lake City | Urban Lounge | |
| May 4, 2024 | Denver | Meow Wulf | |
| May 7, 2024 | Austin | Empire Garage | |
| May 9, 2024 | Atlanta | Variety Playhouse | |
| May 10, 2024 | Durham | Motorco | |
| May 11, 2024 | Washington D.C. | The Howard | |
| May 13, 2024 | Toronto | Canada | Phoenix Concert Theatre |
| May 16, 2024 | Brooklyn | United States | Elsewhere |
| May 17, 2024 | New York City | Irving Plaza | |
| May 18, 2024 | Philadelphia | Theatre of Living Arts | |
| May 19, 2024 | Boston | Sinclair |
Track listing[edit]
Credits adapted from Spotify.[20]
All tracks are written by Michael Gordon, except where noted. All tracks are produced by Gordon, except "New Low" and "DNM" are produced by Gordon and Dijon Duenas.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "New Low" | 2:06 | |
| 2. | "How Many Miles" | 2:21 | |
| 3. | "Are You Looking Up" | 2:46 | |
| 4. | "DNM" |
| 1:58 |
| 5. | "You Got It" |
| 2:14 |
| 6. | "Rylee & I" | 2:22 | |
| 7. | "Candy" | 2:54 | |
| 8. | "I Want" | 3:38 | |
| 9. | "Alesis" | 3:18 | |
| 10. | "Breakthespell" | 4:27 | |
| 11. | "Little Bit More" | 2:19 | |
| 12. | "Dream Police" |
| 2:49 |
| Total length: | 33:18 | ||
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Schube, Will (August 11, 2022). "Mk.gee Returns with Two New Singles, 'Candy' and 'How many miles'". FLOOD Magazine. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Murphy, Dylan (October 20, 2023). "Mk.gee shares double sided release 'Are You Looking Up / You got it'". District Magazine. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Kelly, Tyler Damara (January 19, 2024). "Mk.gee has announced his debut album, Two Star and the Dream Police, alongside the brand new single 'Dream police'". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Bernstein, Elaina (February 9, 2024). "Mk.gee Blends All the Vibes on His Debut Album 'Two Star & The Dream Police'". Hypebeast. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Kim, Joshua Minsoo (February 20, 2024). "Mk.gee Craves Intimacy and Creates Tension on 'Two Star & the Dream Police'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c Brickner-Wood, Brady (February 16, 2024). "Mk.gee: Two Star & the Dream Police Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
- ^ "The 20 best tracks of 2023". Dazed. December 13, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ "The 100 best songs of 2023". The FADER. December 14, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Lamond, Ana (February 9, 2024). "Mk.gee – Two Star & The Dream Police". Clash. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Gayler, Max (February 16, 2024). "Mk.gee: Two Star & The Dream Police". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
- ^ a b "Mk.gee - Two Star & The Dream Police". Metacritic. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Mk.gee (August 16, 2023). "TICKETS ON SALE THIS FRIDAY 8/18 at 10am ET. 5 shows all new music". Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ Mk.gee [@Mk_gee_] (January 22, 2024). "London : tickets on sale Wednesday" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Mk.gee [@Mk_gee_] (January 24, 2024). "LONDON sold out fast again so upgraded to Earth Hall. More tickets on sale Thursday at 10am GMT" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Mk.gee". EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney). Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- ^ Deville, Chris (February 26, 2024). "Mk.gee Performs His New Album At Jil Sander FW24 Runway Show". Stereogum. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
- ^ Vito, Jo (April 11, 2024). "Mk.gee Performs 'Are You Looking Up' on Kimmel". Consequence Of Sound. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ a b Pointer, Flisadam (February 16, 2024). "Mk.gee Announces 2024 North American Tour To Support His Latest Album". Uproxx. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ Mk.gee (March 9, 2023). "Upgraded venues here, tour next month". Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ Mk.gee (February 9, 2024). "Two Star & The Dream Police". Spotify. Retrieved February 11, 2024.