After School is the fourth extended play (EP) by American singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez. It was released on September 25, 2020, through Atlantic Records. "The Bakery" was released as the lead single the same day. The EP was also released as the deluxe edition to Martinez's second studio album, K–12. Martinez says this EP is "much more personal and steps outside of the Cry Baby character box for a moment".[1]
Background
In an interview with V magazine in September 2019, Martinez stated that she[a] would release songs that were in-line with her previous album, K–12, but that the songs would be "more personal and more vulnerable".[2] On January 8, 2020, Martinez announced through her Instagram stories that she would release an EP titled After School that would be attached to the K–12 era.[3] The EP was originally scheduled to be released sometime in the spring of 2020.[4][5] Martinez also previously announced that she had planned two more films, both of which would be accompanied by albums.[6]
On February 9, 2020, Martinez confirmed through her Instagram story that the EP would be out in spring, but it was pushed back to September 25, and that a song featuring "one of [her] fav [sic] artists" would be coming out "sooner than you think". The next day, February 10, she released the standalone single "Copy Cat", with American rapper and songwriter Tierra Whack.[7] The song was originally intended to be the lead single from the EP, but was cut from the final track listing.[citation needed]
On September 15, 2020, Martinez posted a surrealist photo on Instagram of her in a nest with two eggs, with a caption reading; "Holdin' onto these eggs till they're ready to be hatched next week", teasing that the EP would be released the next week.[8] In an interview with Idolator, Martinez expressed interest in making a music video for "Test Me", saying that she wrote a video treatment and that "it all depends on how much people connect with it".[9]
