# Two Star & the Dream Police

Two Star & the Dream Police is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gordon, known professionally as Mk.gee. Released on February 9, 2024, through R&R, the album was supported by five singles: "Candy", "How Many Miles", "Are You Looking Up", "You Got It", and "Dream Police".
The album received critical acclaim, with reviewers highlighting the lyrical content, production, as well as Gordon's artistic growth and vocal performances. It was widely recognized as one of the best albums of 2024, with Clash, Dazed and The New York Times ranking it number one on their respective year-end lists. Additionally, Pitchfork named it one of the best albums of the first half of the 2020s. Commercially, Two Star & the Dream Police marked Gordon's first charting album, peaking at number 84 on the Scottish Albums Chart and number 29 on the UK Independent Albums Chart.
To support the album, Gordon embarked on a North American tour from April to May 2024, followed by a world tour spanning North America, Europe and Australia, which began in September and concluded in December. The concerts received praise from several publications.

## Background

Two Star & the Dream Police is Gordon's first release since his debut mixtape A Museum of Contradiction in 2020. In 2021, before working on the album, Gordon collaborated with musician Dijon, serving as co-writer and co-producer on his debut studio album Absolutely. Since then, Dijon has been Gordon's frequent collaborator.

### Singles

The album was preceded by the release of five singles. "Candy" and "How Many Miles" were released together as the double lead single to the then-unannounced album on August 11, 2023. Will Schube of FLOOD Magazine described the former as a "funk-leaning lo-fi pop jam filled with psychedelic guitar squiggles and a magnificent use of vocoder" and the latter as an R&B-inspired song that "showcases [Mk.gee]'s gifts as a songwriter and vocalist." Joshua Minsoo Kim of Rolling Stone analyzed "How Many Miles" as a song about "feeling lost and finding yourself" and deemed it the album's highlight. Brady Brickner-Wood of Pitchfork praised the song and said, "No song better illustrates Mk.gee's gifts than 'How many miles.'"
On October 20, 2023, Gordon released another double single "Are You Looking Up" and "You Got It". Both songs were met with critical praise, with Dazed including the former in its list of "20 best tracks of 2023", placing it at number 12, while the latter being named the 26th best song of the year by The Fader. In June 2024, "Are You Looking Up" was featured in the third season of the American comedy-drama series The Bear, appearing in the ninth episode titled "Apologies".
On January 19, 2024, the album's fifth single "Dream Police" was released, followed by the announcement of the album release date and title.

## Composition

Musically, Two Star & the Dream Police has been described by Hypebeast as a "genre-surfing bedroom pop that's lo-fi yet bright [and] intimate yet expansive" record with elements of indie and alternative.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Aggregate scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 83/100 |
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 8/10 |
| The Guardian | |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10 |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10 |
| Rolling Stone | |
Upon release, Two Star & the Dream Police was met with acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 83, based on four reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
Reviewing for Clash, Ana Lamond wrote, "There is an immersive quality across the tracklist that instantly strikes through. Each track is submerged in a nocturnal wash of acoustics, playful in its use of distance, textures and melody. [...] Sonically, Two Star & The [Dream] Police is able to defy the traditional conventions of a ballad, whilst reaching into a magnetic vulnerability through [Mk.gee]'s pen." Max Gayler of The Line of Best Fit praised the album, highlighting the lyrical content, production and Gordon's vocals, and wrote, "Clocking in at just over 33 minutes, these 12 songs carry the weight of an artistry so well studied and expertly executed. Pitchfork's writer Brady Brickner-Wood called it a "magnificent debut album", lauding its production and vocal performances, and said, "the magic of [the album is that] nothing in contemporary music sounds quite like it, yet it seems to have always been with us, hovering just outside the realm of possibility."

### Critics' ranking

Two Star & the Dream Police has been featured in numerous publications' year-end lists of the best albums of 2024. It claimed the number one spot in rankings by Clash, Dazed, and Jon Caramanica of The New York Times. The album also ranked in the top five on lists by Coup De Main, Gorilla vs. Bear, Los Angeles Times, and The New Yorker. It appeared in the top ten on lists from The Associated Press, Billboard, Crack, Hypebeast, The Line of Best Fit, The Ringer, and TURN, while also landing in the top 20 on lists by Exclaim!, The Guardian, NME, Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone. Additionally, it appeared in the top 50 on rankings by Alternative Press, Beats Per Minute, Complex, The Fader, FLOOD Magazine, KCRW, NPR, Stereogum, and Vogue, and in the top 100 by Paste and Uproxx. Apple Music included the album in its "Favorite Albums of 2024" list, while Vulture placed it in the honorable mentions of its best albums ranking. In October 2024, Pitchfork also named Two Star & the Dream Police as one of the best albums of the first half of the 2020s.
Among the album's tracks, "Alesis" appeared most frequently on critics' lists of the year's best songs, with Coup De Main and Vulture ranking it number one, while Gorilla vs. Bear, NME, and The Ringer placed it in their top ten, at fourth, seventh, and sixth, respectively. The song also appeared in the top 100 on year-end lists by Billboard, Paste, and Uproxx. Additionally, Spotify included it in its music editors' picks for the best songs of the year. "Are You Looking Up" was ranked the 12th best song of 2023 by Dazed, the seventh best song of 2024 by The Fader, and one of the best songs of the first half of 2024 by Los Angeles Times. The Fader also ranked "You Got It" as the 26th best song of 2023. Additionally, "How Many Miles" was ranked the ninth best song of 2024 by Clash, while "Breakthespell" was placed 11th in Resident Advisor's "Best Tracks of 2024" list. Meanwhile, "I Want" and "Little Bit More" were each named among the best songs of the first half of 2024 by NPR and The New York Times, respectively.
Select year-end rankings for Two Star & the Dream Police :
| Publication | Accolade | Rank |
| Clash | Albums of the Year 2024 | 1 |
| Coup De Main | The Best Albums of 2024 | 4 |
| Crack | The Top 50 Albums of 2024 | 6 |
| Dazed | The 20 best albums of 2024 | 1 |
| Gorilla vs. Bear | Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of 2024 | 2 |
| The Line of Best Fit | The Best Albums of 2024 | 7 |
| Los Angeles Times | The 20 best albums of 2024 | 3 |
| The New York Times | Jon Caramanica's Best Albums of 2024 | 1 |
| The New Yorker | The Best Albums of 2024 | 2 |
| The Ringer | The Ringer's 30 Best Albums of 2024 | 6 |
Mid-decade rankings for Two Star & the Dream Police :
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
| Pitchfork | 100 Best Albums of the 2020s so far | 91 | |

## Promotion and tours

After the release of the two lead singles, Gordon announced a 5-show tour in 2023 called Inside Each of Us Are Two Stars, which included shows in Brooklyn (October 16 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg), Toronto (October 18 at the Great Hall), Chicago (October 21 at the Lincoln Hall), Los Angeles (November 1 at the Roxy Theatre), and San Francisco (November 3 at Rickshaw Stop). On February 16, Gordon held a one-night live show in London. The show was originally set to be held at Oslo Hackney, but was moved to the EartH Hall, a larger venue, due to high demand.
On February 24, 2024, Gordon made an appearance at the Jil Sander Fall Winter 2024 Runaway Show in Milan, performing "How Many Miles", "Alesis" and "Dream Police", alongside Benji B. On April 11, 2024, Gordon performed "Are You Looking Up" on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, marking his debut performance on television. On November 9, 2024, he appeared as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, performing "Alesis" alongside a standalone single "Rockman".

### North America tour

Gordon embarked on a longer, 18-show tour in North America to promote Two Star & the Dream Police. The tour began on April 23, 2024, in San Diego, California and concluded on May 19, 2024, in Boston, Massachusetts.
List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue :
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| April 23, 2024 | San Diego | United States | Music Box |
| April 24, 2024 | Los Angeles | United States | The Fonda Theatre |
| April 25, 2024 | Los Angeles | United States | The Fonda Theatre |
| April 27, 2024 | San Francisco | United States | Great American Music Hall |
| April 29, 2024 | Portland | United States | Revolution Hall |
| April 30, 2024 | Vancouver | Canada | The Biltmore |
| May 1, 2024 | Seattle | United States | Neumos |
| May 3, 2024 | Salt Lake City | United States | Urban Lounge |
| May 4, 2024 | Denver | United States | Meow Wulf |
| May 7, 2024 | Austin | United States | Empire Garage |
| May 9, 2024 | Atlanta | United States | Variety Playhouse |
| May 10, 2024 | Durham | United States | Motorco |
| May 11, 2024 | Washington D.C. | United States | The Howard |
| May 13, 2024 | Toronto | Canada | Phoenix Concert Theatre |
| May 16, 2024 | Brooklyn | United States | Elsewhere |
| May 17, 2024 | New York City | United States | Irving Plaza |
| May 18, 2024 | Philadelphia | United States | Theatre of Living Arts |
| May 19, 2024 | Boston | United States | Sinclair |

### World tour

Following the success of his 18-show tour, Gordon has embarked on his first-ever world tour spanning North America, Europe and Australia. The tour began on September 2, 2024, in Vancouver, Canada and concluded on December 7, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia.
List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue :
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| September 2, 2024 | Vancouver | Canada | Commodore Ballroom |
| September 3, 2024 | Seattle | United States | Showbox SoDo |
| September 6, 2024 | Oakland | United States | Fox Theater |
| September 7, 2024 | Los Angeles | United States | Hollywood Palladium |
| September 9, 2024 | San Diego | United States | The Observatory North Park |
| September 11, 2024 | Denver | United States | Summit |
| September 13, 2024 | Houston | United States | White Oak Music Hall |
| September 11, 2024 | Austin | United States | Emo's Austin |
| September 13, 2024 | Dallas | United States | House Of Blues |
| September 18, 2024 | Atlanta | United States | Tabernacle |
| September 19, 2024 | Louisville | United States | Mercury Ballroom |
| September 20, 2024 | Nashville | United States | Marathon Music Works |
| September 21, 2024 | Newport | United States | MegaCorp Pavilion |
| September 23, 2024 | Silver Spring | United States | The Fillmore Silver Spring |
| September 24, 2024 | New Haven | United States | Toad's Place |
| September 25, 2004 | Manhattan | United States | Terminal 5 |
| September 26, 2024 | Boston | United States | House Of Blues |
| September 28, 2024 | Philadelphia postponed | United States | Franklin Music Hall |
| September 29, 2024 | Brooklyn | United States | Brooklyn Paramount Theater |
| October 1, 2024 | Toronto | Canada | HISTORY |
| October 2, 2024 | Detroit | United States | St. Andrew's Hall |
| October 3, 2024 | Chicago | United States | Vic Theatre |
| October 5, 2024 | Minneapolis | United States | Uptown Theater |
| October 31, 2024 | London | United Kingdom | Electric Brixton |
| November 3, 2024 | Paris | France | Elysée Montmartre |
| November 4, 2024 | Berlin | Germany | Betonhalle |
| November 5, 2024 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Paradise |
| November 7, 2024 | Philadelphia Makeup date | United States | Franklin Music Hall |
| December 3, 2024 | Brisbane | Australia | The Triffid |
| December 5, 2024 | Sydney | Australia | Metro Theatre |
| December 7, 2024 | Melbourne | Australia | Max Watt's |

## Track listing

Credits adapted from Spotify.
All tracks are written by Michael Gordon, except where noted. All tracks are produced by Gordon, except "New Low" and "DNM" are produced by Gordon and Dijon Duenas.

## Charts

Chart performance for Two Star & the Dream Police :
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 84 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) | 29 |