In The Meantime Alessia Cara

• 1Unboxing Intro00:41
• 2Box In The Ocean03:16
• 3Bluebird03:14
• 4Lie To Me02:31
• 5Shapeshifter03:03
• 6Fishbowl03:08
• 7I Miss You, Don't Call Me03:20
• 8Middle Ground03:43
• 9Somebody Else03:34
• 10Drama Queen03:01
• 11Clockwork02:27
• 12Best Days03:31
• 13Sweet Dream03:03
• 14Find My Boy03:12
• 15Voice In My Head02:57
• 16Slow Lie02:42
• 17You Let Me Down03:13
• 18Apartment Song03:41
• Total Runtime54:17

Info for In The Meantime

Alessia Cara has announced that her third studio album In The Meantime will be released on September 24 via Def Jam Recordings. The album, which follows up 2018’s The Pains of Growing, will feature the recently released singles “Sweet Dream” and “Shapeshifter.”

“So excited to finally start this new era,” Cara wrote on Twitter following the announcement of In The Meantime. “Best thing I’ve made so far & so so much more coming love you thanks for waiting.”

In July, the Grammy Award-winning singer offered the two aforementioned lead singles to present the theme of In The Meantime.

“The theme of duality is recurring on this next album, so it made sense to release two songs to introduce both ends of the thread,” Cara explained. “The first side being ‘Sweet Dream’ which represents the hardship & helplessness surrounding my last couple of years. It’s about insomnia and the hoops my brain jumps through at night while I’m supposed to be asleep. Never fun!”

“Then on the flip side, there’s ‘Shapeshifter’ which is witty and sophisticated in a way that I feel represents the more mature and light-hearted parts of the album. I had to go through lots of pain to regain my footing and this song feels unwavering, despite it not being about the happiest of things.”

Of “Shapeshifter,” she shared: “[This] represents the more sophisticated and fiery parts of the album. I had to experience different forms of pain to regain my footing and this song feels unwavering, despite it not being about the happiest of things (got my feelings hurt whatever).”

Cara has begun building a narrative world for In The Meantime through its two singles. The visuals for the project thus far have been character driven and attentive to detail as a means of accurately portraying the storytelling presented through the singer’s lyrics.

Alessia Cara, vocals

Alessia Cara
There’s a new breed of pop star seizing hold of the world’s airwaves and online—more accurately, a conscious-pop star who’s set to subversively top charts and sway hearts and minds. This enigma embodied is 18-year-old Alessia Cara, who’s riding the refrains of her ironic anthem, “Here.” Premiered by The Fader, “Here” garnered over 500,000 total streams in it’s first week, resounding praise for its freshness and insight.

“Here” is unapologetically autobiographical: “‘Here’ is a true story,” Alessia confesses. “It’s a party song, but really it’s the complete opposite of a party song. It’s absolutely me; it shouts out the person in the corner of the party, looking around uncomfortably. I feel like this song narrates what the wallflower is thinking.”

Co-written by Sebastian Kole, “Here” manages to be both cheeky and cautionary. It’s authored from the perspective of an unenthusiastic partygoer who’s counting the minutes till it’s time to leave. “Here” takes aim at mindless revelry and is peppered with lines that touch everyone’s hidden introvert: “I’m sorry if I seem uninterested / Or I’m not listenin’, or I’m indifferent / Truly I ain’t got no business here” and “Excuse me if I seem a little unimpressed with this / An antisocial pessimist, but usually I don’t mess with this” and “Really I would rather be at home all by myself / Not in this room with people who don’t even care about my well being.”

Powerful stuff from a teenage voice; in fact, that’s powerful stuff from anyone who’s ever put pen to pad in name of art. And Alessia’s mature pen game is matched by her larger-than-life voice; she’s dazzlingly chameleon-like, boasting the kind of versatility that will make her a force. In short, Alessia has cause to be confident. But she’s still the bashful, small-town girl even in the big city: “You don’t think you’re ever going to end up here from Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Instead, you think, ‘Who’s going to see me?’ I can’t wrap my head around everything that’s happened: the chemistry with Sebastian, the producers, the label. Def Jam got what I am trying to do: I want my music to be cool and reflective of my influences –Drake, Amy Winehouse, Ed Sheeran– but still new. Def Jam gave me the opportunity to say something meaningful and positive without being preachy. I didn’t expect everything to feel so natural and organic. And I can’t believe how quickly it’s going.”

Alessia is equal parts fresh face, old soul, newcomer, and lifer. She’s going, quickly. Now it’s up to the rest of the world to catch up and catch on.

This album contains no booklet.