Red Pill Blues
Red Pill Blues is the sixth studio album by American band Maroon 5. It was released on November 3, 2017, through 222 and Interscope Records. This is the band's first release to feature multi-instrumentalist Sam Farrar, as an official member after he became a touring member in 2012, and also the last album to feature bassist Mickey Madden as a member, before his departure from the band in 2020, which means this is their only album featuring a 7-piece band to date. The title of the album refers to the science fiction term of taking the red pill or the blue pill, which originated from the 1999 sci-fi film The Matrix.[5] The album is the follow-up to their fifth studio album V (2014) and features guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Julia Michaels, SZA, ASAP Rocky, LunchMoney Lewis and Future.
Red Pill Blues
November 3, 2017
2015–2017
- Chumba Meadows, The Venice, Glenwood Palace (California)
- Inner Child (London)
- Conway, Westlake, Henson (Los Angeles)
- Electric Lady, Matzah Ball, Sterling Sound (New York)
- (Wolf Cousins (Stockholm, Sweden)
- MixStar (Virginia Beach)
42:10
- John Ryan
- Noah Passavoy
- OzGo
- Phil Paul
- Sam Farrar
- Jason Evigan
- Julien Bunetta
- Afterhrs
- Ben Billions
- Charlie Puth
- Diplo
- King Henry
- Ricky Reed
- Cirkut
- TMS
- Benny Blanco
- The Arcade
- Louie Lastic
- Ryan Ogren
- Nick Bailey
Red Pill Blues received mixed reviews from music critics upon its release, and peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200. The album includes the singles "Don't Wanna Know", "Cold", "What Lovers Do", "Wait", and "Girls Like You". The first two singles, "Don't Wanna Know" and "Cold", are included on both of the album's deluxe and Japanese editions respectively. The third single "What Lovers Do", peaked within the top ten in twenty-five countries including Australia, Canada and the United States. The album's fourth single "Wait", received moderate success, peaking at number twenty-four in the United States, thirty-five on the Canadian Hot 100, and seventy-nine in the UK Singles. The fifth and final single from the reissued edition of the album "Girls Like You", was released in a new version featuring rapper Cardi B and peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as in the top five in Australia and Canada. The band embarked on the Red Pill Blues Tour (2018–2019) in support of the album.
Background[edit]
After touring in support of their fifth studio album V (2014) for over three years, Maroon 5 began planning a follow-up to V. After embarking on a short rescheduled headlining tour in North America in March 2017, the band recording new material for a sixth album at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California. The band later posted teaser gifs and videos of members in the studio on their social media accounts in late March.[6]
At the 2017 Teen Choice Awards, held on August 13, 2017, Maroon 5 was honored with the Decade Award. In his acceptance speech, frontman Adam Levine confirmed that their sixth album would be released in November.[7] Levine later confirmed this in an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music radio station Beats 1.[8] On October 4, 2017, the band revealed the album's name, Red Pill Blues, and announced the pre-order for the album on October 6.[9][10] Describing the meaning between this album and the band's first album Songs About Jane (2002), Levine said: "I think this album and the first album are probably the most connected. This album seems to me like a cousin to the first album, there’s a relationship kind of like book-ended all the ones in between."[11]
Artwork[edit]
The album cover art for Red Pill Blues was created by American photographer Travis Schneider and is inspired by filters featured on the mobile app Snapchat.[12] The cover depicts all seven members of Maroon 5 pictured on polaroid photographs with a filter on their faces. "We all use Snapchat, and the filters have become a huge part of the culture," frontman Adam Levine told Billboard in an October 2017 interview.[13] "We thought it would be funny to take some more straight-ahead band photos and sprinkle in a little fun." Guitarist James Valentine added by saying: "It's like, a part of the zeitgeist now. Adam [Levine] and his wife, they just love trading photos when we're touring and stuff. They're always doing those filter faces to each other, so I think it rose out of that. Adam always has fun with that."
It also won the bronze award at the 2018 Shorty Awards, with both the album's cover art for Best Use of Snapchat and the wallpaper promotion for Best Influencer and Celebrity Snapchat Campaign.[14]
Commercial performance[edit]
In the United States, Red Pill Blues debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, with 122,000 album-equivalent units, of which 94,000 were pure album sales, becoming the band's sixth top ten album in the country. The album was kept off the top spot by Sam Smith's The Thrill of It All.[51] By the end of the year, Red Pill Blues had accumulated 596,000 album-equivalent units in the country, with 185,000 being pure sales.[52] On May 17, 2018, Red Pill Blues was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 1,000,000 units in the United States.[53]
It is also Maroon 5's sixth top ten album in Australia, opening at number seven on the ARIA Albums Chart.[54] The album entered the Canadian Albums Chart at number two, becoming their sixth top five entry in Canada.[55] Elsewhere, it debuted at number six on the New Zealand Albums Chart,[56] and at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart.[57]
Notes
Sample credits