Life Support is the debut studio album by American singer Madison Beer. It was released on February 26, 2021, by Access and Epic Records.[1] Beer herself co-wrote the entire album, and co-produced most of the record, which is a concept album created in the midst of a major depressive episode and Beer's diagnosis with borderline personality disorder. The album lyrically revolves around themes of mental health, grief and heartbreak, as well as Beer's experiences with public scrutiny and building resilience during the making of the record. Musically, Life Support is a pop and R&B record with elements of indie pop.
Life Support was promoted by the release of four singles; "Good in Goodbye", "Selfish", "Baby" and "Boyshit", and three promotional singles; "Stained Glass", "Blue" and "Everything Happens for a Reason". The album debuted and peaked at number 65 on the US Billboard 200 and reached the top 40 in the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries.
Background
On November 9, 2018, Beer released "Hurts Like Hell" as the lead single from her then untitled debut studio album.[2] After its release, Beer revealed that the album would be released sometime in 2019.[2] "Hurts Like Hell" was later removed from the album and "Dear Society" replaced it as the album's lead single, which was released on May 17, 2019.[3] In August 2019, the album's title Life Support was leaked.[4] Shortly after that, Beer announced that she had signed with Epic Records and that she planned to release new music soon.[5] Beer wrote the album with the intent of truly expressing herself and having her own voice, stating "I feel like I'm finally being seen for things that I value and being viewed for things that I actually feel really good about. And my music I feel like is speaking for itself," adding "This is who I am."[6] She also shared that she wanted to show that mental health issues and internet perfection are not exclusive of one another, stating "'You have a perfect life.' And I'm like, no, I want to show you even if it looks like I do, I am also struggling severely and in therapy every single day and I'm on anxiety medication. I just wanted to deconstruct this idea that people have that if you present like you have a perfect life on social media, that doesn't mean that you actually do," signifying that she wanted to express that not everything you see means someone's life is perfect. Describing the album in three words, she chose "Honest, brave and badass".[7] Her favorite track lyrically is "Effortlessly".[7]
With my album, I made a promise to myself that this is going to be my time to express honestly and truthfully how I've been feeling. I could finally tell my story the way I wanted to tell it and touch on things like medications that are harmful for young adults that I’ve been put on, and real shit I've never been able to talk about
Life Support was described by reviewers as a dark, personal, and sad album influenced by R&B, indie pop, and pop.[9][10] In an interview with Zach Sang and Dan Zolot, Beer confirmed that she was inspired by a variety of artists, including Tame Impala, Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande and Twenty One Pilots.[11] Lyrically, the album deals with mental health, self reflection, grief, and breaking one free of restraints.[6]
"Good in Goodbye" is a break-up anthem[12] with a dark melody[13] that, according to Beer, is about "cutting ties with a toxic person, no matter how tough it can feel at the time, is sometimes the only way forward." "Default", a sentimental ballad, details Beer's struggles with anxiety and suicidal ideation.[14] "Selfish" is a slow-tempo pop "breakup ballad"[15] with stripped down production that emphasizes Beer's vocals.[15] Lyrically, the song is about toxic relationships.[8] "Stained Glass" is a downbeat ballad about public scrutiny and Beer's struggles with mental health.[16][17] The song's production begins with just piano before adding drums on the song's chorus and Beer's vocal performance was described as "haunting and beautiful".[18][16] "Sour Times" was inspired by Tame Impala, with lyrics detailing Beer's experiences with harassment and getting taken advantage due to a mentally vulnerable state. The country ballad "Homesick" samples a dialogue of the sci-fianimated sitcomRick and Morty, which Madison states is her favorite cartoon. Primarily, the songs talks about social alienation and Beer's abandonment issues, by referencing her beliefs in outer space species. The album closes with "Everything Happens For A Reason", a country ballad with 50s-60s influences, in which the lyrics suggest that Beer will never heal from her pain, but remains looking for the reason.[7]
The main writers of the album, Kinetics & One Love, who also worked with Beer on As She Pleases are also writers of fellow artist Melanie Martinez, whom Beer is inspired by and "loves", and is the reason she chose her writers specifically.[11]
Singles
"Good in Goodbye" was released as the album's lead single on January 31, 2020.[14] It reached number 15 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart and impacted contemporary hit radio in Italy on April 3, 2020.[19] A music video was released to accompany the song's release.[20]
"Selfish" was released as the album's second single on February 14, 2020. It reached number 19 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart as well as entering official charts in Canada, Ireland and the UK. It impacted contemporary hit radio in the United States on May 19, 2020.[21] The song also received a music video that was directed by Beer herself.[citation needed]
Promotional singles
"Stained Glass" was released on April 3, 2020, as the album's promotional single.[18]
Tour
On May 17, 2021, Beer announced a 26-date North American tour, titled The Life Support Tour, which had a 23-date European leg announced on June 9. On July 30, she announced Maggie Lindemann and Audriix would be the opening acts for the North American leg. Leah Kate was announced as the European leg opener on March 15, 2022. The American leg of the tour began on October 18, 2021, in Toronto at Queen Elizabeth Theatre and ended on November 28, 2021, in Los Angeles at The Wiltern. The European leg began on March 28, 2022, in Madrid at La Riviera and concluded on April 28, 2022, in Oslo at Vulkan Arena.[22]
The following setlist was obtained from the October 18, 2021 concert, held at Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto, Canada. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.[23][24]
Life Support was met with positive reviews from critics upon its release, many of whom praised her vocal performance and the album's subject matter. According to Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to ratings and reviews from mainstream critics, critics gave Life Support a score of 71, based on four reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[33]
Writing for Beats Per Minute, JT Early said: "Life Support is a lovingly-crafted project which explores mental health, heartbreak, toxicity and self-assertion. The album presents an array of lush pop and R&B tracks connected through decadent orchestration. The soundscapes here are cinematic and cohesive, while Beer's versatile vocals easily go from sultry to dreamily resonant to emphatically cold. Life Support is a victorious debut from a singer whose determination and passion has allowed her to overcome any naysayers and detractors."[29] Hannah Mylrea of NME wrote: "On a lesser album, the eclecticism might lead to a lack of coherence, but this record is always threaded through with Beer's diaristic lyricism. With its consistent, gut-punching honesty and witty wordplay, you'll always find something special on Life Support."[30] Marcy Donelson of AllMusic said: "The album's 17 tracks address subject matter including breakups, grief, and struggles with mental health with a mix of pop, R&B, and alternative stylings."[28]
Commercial performance
Life Support entered the national charts in various territories. In the United States, it debuted at number 65 on the US Billboard 200 with 11,800 album equivalent units, according to Rolling Stone charts.[34] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 28, making it Beer's first top 40 on the country. Elsewhere, the album debuted at number 21 in Ireland, number 23 on Canada, and number 33 in New Zealand.
One Love – production (2,6,13,14), bass (2,13), drums (2,6,13), keyboards (2,13), programming (2,6,11,13), piano (11), vocal production (13), backing vocals (17)
