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Coco Moon is the seventh studio album by American electronica project Owl City. It was released independently via Sky Harbor on March 24, 2023. The album was written and produced by Adam Young. The album is supported by three singles: "Kelly Time", "Adam, Check Please" and "Vitamin Sea". It is his first album in five years since his 2018 album Cinematic.

Background and release

In June 2022, Young announced that he would be releasing new music soon, as early as fall 2022. He began making cryptic posts on the social media app Instagram, in the form of an ARG.[1] Teasers were later released in October 2022.[2] Young began recording Coco Moon sometime in 2022, before taking a short break to record a song titled "Up to the Cloud" for the mobile game Neural Cloud.[3][4]

Young announced the title and release date of the album via social media on February 9, 2023.[5] The album contains themes of "autobiographical", "metaphorical", and "odd" songs, according to Young, that refrain from pop culture or political references.[6] Speaking about the overall meaning of the album, he stated;

"The point is that Coco Moon is a very Owl City album. It is quirky. It is odd. It is unapologetically myself. I made an album that is exactly the way it was supposed to be, not an album that popular culture or algorithms, or analytics, or anyone else on planet Earth told me to make. I wrote me. Average, ordinary, weird me."[6]

"Kelly Time" was released on January 6, 2023, as the lead single from the album.[7] The song was inspired by the 2000 film Cast Away and is about "being okay with not always knowing what's gonna happen", as Young says.[8] The album's second single "Adam, Check Please" was released on February 3, 2023, which is about Young's first job when he was 17 years old.[9] "Vitamin Sea" was released as the third and final single from the album on March 3, 2023.[10] Young premiered a music video for the song on March 13, 2023.[11] On December 22, 2023, "My Muse" was serviced for radio airplay.[12] On January 25, 2024, Young announced that a deluxe edition of Coco Moon would be released on March 22. The deluxe edition contained two new tracks: "Boston" and "Car Trouble", a new version of "Adam, Check Please", a live version of "Under The Circus Lights" and two instrumentals of "The Tornado" and "Dinosaur Park".[13] He released "Boston" on February 9, a cover of the Augustana song.[14] On March 1, Owl City released the fifth single from the album, "Car Trouble".[15]

In support of the album, Young announced the To the Moon Tour that began in the fall of 2023 with support from Augustana.[16] Owl City later announced a Japan leg of the tour which took place in February 2024.[17] Another leg was added in the United States for March and April 2024.[18]

Composition

The album contains 11 tracks, all written and produced by Young.[19] He shared the cover art and tracklist via social media on March 14, 2023.[20] Young explained the meaning for some of the tracks from the album in an interview with PM Studio, including the singles and other cuts like "The Tornado".[21] "Dinosaur Park" is the longest song Owl City has ever recorded, at 6 and a half minutes, and has been described as a "more innocent" and "patient" song toning down on its electropop sound.[22] "The Tornado" features a brief screamo breakdown which Young has dabbled at in previous side projects such as Aquarium and Novel.[23]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[24]
Jesus Freak Hideout[25]

Coco Moon was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Joel Zaloum of Jesus Freak Hideout gave a positive review stating, "there's something all the more weighty at hand." He compared the album to Young's Scores series for its recognizable sound, patented guitar and synth tones. He described the third track "Kelly Time" as "Young's willingness to keep it simple, writing about everyday pleasures such as nostalgic movies." Other songs such as "Vitamin Sea" and "Learn How to Surf" were described as "carefree, radio-friendly tracks." "Sons of Thunder" and "The Meadow Lark" were described as the highlight and stand out points of the album. However, he did criticize the first track "Adam, Check Please" as a "seemingly mundane note." Overall, he remarked, "There's a beautiful balance between the outlandish and the practical, which should please fans of both camps. Young's addition of deeper spiritual themes, as well as movie-score tendencies, make this, perhaps, his finest work."[25]

In another positive review by Matt Collar of AllMusic, he called the track "Adam, Check Please", a song that was "born out of his own midwestern Christian upbringing." He also described the song "Field Notes" as a track that feels "more like fables or a tale by Mark Twain." However he was critical on the track "Vitamin Sea" for its lack of "subtext" and how it is "likely to elicit a few groans." He ended off stating, "A cynic might at first think he is being ironic or messing with the listener. But no, while there is clearly cheeky humor at play throughout Coco Moon, Young, as with a lot of us, really just likes sand between his toes."[24]

Ryan Reichard of PopCrush stated that the album features some "surprising sonic moments."[26] "The Tornado" has gone on to become a fan-favorite from the album, many praising the song for its "unique production" and Young's "unexpected vocal performance."[26] Dominik Dausch of the Argus Leader wrote on the song "Dinosaur Park" calling it, "a step toward a musically-rendered Night at the Museum set in the City of Presidents – though, the sculptures' depiction of dinosaurs might lack realism themselves."[22]

In a negative review, Ewan Gleadow of Cult Following criticized the album as shallow and clichéd, saying it "has a children’s television show appeal to it – simplistic and for those who cannot process the world around them without the guidance of adventurous tracks."[27]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Adam Young.

Standard edition
No.TitleLength
1."Adam, Check Please"5:38
2."Under the Circus Lights"5:04
3."Kelly Time"5:29
4."Field Notes"5:38
5."Sons of Thunder"5:02
6."The Tornado"4:49
7."Vitamin Sea"4:38
8."Dinosaur Park"6:31
9."Learn How to Surf"3:40
10."The Meadow Lark"5:08
11."My Muse"3:33
Total length:55:14
Deluxe edition[28]
No.TitleLength
12."Car Trouble"5:13
13."Boston"4:04
14."Adam, Check Please" (Up North version)6:43
15."Under the Circus Lights" (live)4:34
16."The Tornado" (instrumental)4:47
17."Dinosaur Park" (instrumental)6:31

Credits and personnel

Credits retrieved from album's liner notes.[29]

Charts

Chart performance for Coco Moon
Chart (2023) Peak
position
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[30] 43
US Top Current Albums Sales (Billboard)[31] 94

Release history

Release formats for Coco Moon
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various March 24, 2023
Sky Harbor Records [32][33]
March 22, 2024
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 [28]

References

  1. ^ Maddie Agne (September 26, 2022). "What's the deal with music ARGs?". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  2. ^ Brandon J (October 29, 2022). "Owl City is Back and New Music On The Way". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  3. ^ @owlcity (November 18, 2022). "I took a short break from recording the new Owl City album when I was invited to write the @NeuralCloudEN music video theme song. Neural Cloud is a new strategy RPG game with a sci-fi theme. The Neural Cloud X Owl City music video and the game will be released on Monday!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ Nick Yopko (November 26, 2022). "Owl City Dials Into The Neural Cloud Mobile Game With New Song, Up to the Cloud". EDM.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  5. ^ @owlcity (February 9, 2023). "Hi, it's Adam. I'm thrilled to announce a new Owl City album is coming. March 24th is the day. The title of the album is Coco Moon" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ a b Timothy Yap (March 21, 2023). "Owl City on Coco Moon: 'This Album is Unapologetically Myself'". JubileeCast.com. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  7. ^ "Kelly Time - Single by Owl City". Apple Music. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  8. ^ "Owl City Releases New Song Kelly Time". PM Studio. January 6, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  9. ^ "Owl City Releases New Song Adam, Check Please". PM Studio. February 3, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  10. ^ "Vitamin Sea - Single by Owl City". Apple Music. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  11. ^ "Owl City - Vitamin Sea (Official Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  12. ^ "His Muse: Another radio hit for America's Owl City". Cross Rhythms. December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  13. ^ @owlcityofficial (January 25, 2024). "Tour + New Music = Deluxe. Click the link in the bio to hear a clip of "Boston" (out February 9)" – via Instagram.
  14. ^ Toshio Maeoka (February 10, 2024). "Owl City Covers Augustana's 'Boston'". PM Studio. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  15. ^ Toshio Maeoka (March 2, 2024). "Owl City Releases New Song 'Car Trouble'". PM Studio. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  16. ^ @owlcity (March 24, 2023). "Here we go. On sale next Friday! For first access to tickets, head over to ... and sign up to receive the presale password before it starts on Tuesday, March 28th" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ "Owl City: Tour Dates". owlcity.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  18. ^ Nicole Iuzzolino (January 20, 2024). "Owl City tour 2024: How to get tickets to the 'To The Moon Deluxe Tour'". NJ.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  19. ^ "Owl City Announces New Album Coco Moon, Shares New Song Vitamin Sea". March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  20. ^ @owlcity (March 14, 2023). "'Coco Moon' Album - 3/24/23" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ^ "Owl City Releases New Album Coco Moon". March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  22. ^ a b Dominik Dausch (March 27, 2023). "Yes, Owl City wrote a 6-minute tribute to Rapid City's Dinosaur Park". Argus Leader. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  23. ^ Ryan Reichard (April 21, 2023). "People React to Screamo Part in New Owl City Song". Loudwire. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  24. ^ a b Matt Collar. "Owl City — Coco Moon Review by Matt Collar". AllMusic. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  25. ^ a b Joel Zaloum (May 29, 2023). "Owl City — Coco Moon". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  26. ^ a b Ryan Reichard (April 21, 2023). "Owl City's New Album Features a Screamo Moment (Yes, Really)". PopCrush. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  27. ^ "Owl City – Coco Moon Review". CULT FOLLOWING. 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  28. ^ a b "Coco Moon (Deluxe) - Album by Owl City". Apple Music. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  29. ^ Coco Moon (booklet). Sky Harbor. 2023.
  30. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  31. ^ "Top Current Album Sales: Week of April 8, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  32. ^ @owlcity (March 16, 2023). "Pre-save/add my new album 'Coco Moon' now so you don't miss it on March 24! With the pre-save/add, you'll receive a code to unlock upcoming 'Coco Moon' vinyl, CDs, cassettes, shirts, and more" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  33. ^ "Coco Moon by Owl City". Apple Music. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_Moon