After five years, Mike Posner dropped his fifth studio album, “The Beginning.” Posner is known for his infamous songwriting, as he has written numerous hits for not only himself but for other artists as well. He is most commonly known for his songs “Cooler Than Me” and “I Took a Pill in Ibiza,” but has also written hits such as “Sugar” by Maroon 5 and “Boyfriend” by Justin Bieber. After discovering his extensive list of hit songs, I had very high expectations for his newest album and was curious whether he still had the talent he once had, and it’s safe to say I was disappointed.
This 13-track album, spanning 45 minutes, is about the beauty of life and emotional discovery. “The Beginning” starts with “February 9, 2025,” which is a spoken word piece in which Posner talks about how the album is supposed to be listened to. He invites the listener to listen to the album all at once to emphasize the cohesiveness of the album. Initially, I thought it was strange, but as Posner continued to talk about the purpose of the album, it helped me understand that this album is more of an art piece to him than just music. “The Beginning” was created to help remind the listener that there are “rainbows where the sun does not shine.” The primary purpose of the album is to help people understand perseverance and to keep a positive mindset. So while the start of the album is quirky, I believe it adds to the story and purpose of the album.
The following song is titled “Beautiful Day,” and it did not disappoint. “Beautiful Day” continues to establish the main message of the element and preaches, “it’s a beautiful day to be alive.” The track not only has uplifting lyrics, but it has a strong beat and melody that reminds me of his top hits, like “Cooler Than Me.” I will say that I was disappointed when the song ended because it felt unfinished. The lyrics were slightly repetitive, and it felt like a very surface-level song. I believe the music would be much more enjoyable if there were more diversity within the lyrics. However, the beat was incredibly catchy and immediately caught my attention.
One song I found confusing within this album was “Swipe Right Girls.” Posner initially talks about how this album is about finding self-love and love in other people, so the title felt contradictory. However, as the song evolved, the message became clear. Posner sings, “Swipe right girls are the death of me. They’re the recipe for a big disaster.” This goes to show that Posner is likely in search of love, and the idea of swiping right and left ruins the idea of love for him. Posner sings how he has gotten hurt numerous times and how is reclaiming his love life. However, it feels conflicting to reclaim your love life for yourself and then proceed to write an entire song about the whole lot of “Swipe Right Girls.”
The rest of the album kind of blended together. Each and every song had the same message whether it’s about self-love or improving your life for the better. The monotonous message got boring and I started to zone out. There were some standout moments within each song, but they are all generally the same exact song in different formats. I did find the storytelling format interesting with Posner’s initial message. If you were to listen to “The Beginning” I would follow Posner’s message and start with the first song and listen to it all the way through. If you grew up listening to Posner or songs written by him I would take a look into the album.
“The Beginning:” ★★★☆☆
