Misanthrope.

## Singles

1. "Mr. Policeman (feat. Popcaan)"
February 09th, 2018
2. "So Much Better (feat. G-Eazy)"
March 02nd, 2018
3. "Ruleta (feat. J. Balvin & Bad Bunny)"
May 18th, 2018
4. "Lose My Cool"
August 3rd, 2018

***"misanthrope."*** is the sophomore studio album by English singer LYNX. Released in March 23th, 2018 by Warner Music Group, the Latin-infused album was crafted after a period of isolation in a cabin in Aruba, on the Caribbean Sea.

With elements of samba, Brazilian funk, bossa nova, reggaeton, afrobeat and electronic dance music, received mixed critical reception. Some media outlets criticized the album rhythmic approach and insisted that it was a clear attempt of commercial success disguised as conceptual art; others praised LYNX's courage in dealing with real, organic topics in a light guise. All, however, praised the versatility of the singer on subverting expectations.

Even though the songs were commercially palatable and sun-coated, most of the lyrical content on "misanthrope." featured themes like depression, anger management and sadness. *“Isolation, questioning, grief, overcoming, anger and regret. Those were my stages.”* she explains of the process of coming to terms with herself. *“But I didn’t want it to be this sad, depressing album*” said LYNX, *“I wanted it to uplift people who had gone through self-doubt.”*

Commercially, the album topped the charts in Latin America, Romenia and reached the top ten in six different countries in Europe. In the United Kingdom, it peaked atop the UK Albums Chart for three nonconsecutive weeks, becoming her first album to do so.

## Background and development

In July 2017, the campaign for the debut album *"Why Is It So Hard To Accept The Party Is Over?"* was finished. After the huge unexpected success of *"Hard Place"*, the label felt like it was time to keep up the pace and enjoy the hype surrounding LYNX's name and arranged a camp of songwriters and producers to create *"emotional and relatable songs such as Hard Place"*. Once LYNX was aware of the strategy and felt the pressure of recreating a formula, she started developing manic episodes and depression and asked for a couple months of withdrawal, claiming emotional and physical exhaustion.

The singer then headed to a cabin in Aruba, on southern Caribbean sea, where she had little to no contact with the press and the label (that was simultaneously working on songs to be pitched to her as soon as she got back on her feet).

In Setember 2017, she felt *"suddenly inspired*" by the Caribbean culture and latin music and contacted Jamaican DJ and singer Popcaan, who accepted the challenge and hopped on the next plane to *"simply make music".* “When the inspiration came, I called him [Popcaan], a Jamaican producer and I finally got in touch with my feelings. After "Hard Place", I didn't have any voice or say in any meetings I was on. They just felt like they needed to achieve the same goal, they had seemingly found my niche and I wasn't comfortable there. I felt like a Barbie doll people were playing dress-up with And when I was away from all of that crap and started allowing myself to feel, I felt the urge to make music. It was a very cathartic process that I'm really proud of", said LYNX in press conferences.
After the core of the album was done, Popcaan and LYNX went on an expedition to gather experiences and influences that could make the album richer in a sonic dimension. There were rumors they got romantically involved then, but it was never officially confirmed.

## Writing and recording

LYNX stated in interviews that music *"felt like an organic process to find my own voice and subvert people and my own label's expectations of what I should do as a black singer and, above it all, a woman"*. They embarked on a journey trying to live out and enjoy the Caribbean and Latin culture as anonymous beings, low-profile visiting countries like Brazil, Dominican Republic (where they arranged a meeting with the duo Major Lazer) and Jamaica. The inspiration culminated in *"misanthrope.*": a mixed album with elements of Brazilian samba and funk, bossa nova, reggaeton, afrobeat and electronic dance music.

Afrobeat was the core of the original album. Tracks like "Be Honest" and "Lose My Cool" were the first cuts, fully inspired in traditional Caribbean music. But LYNX stated in several interviews that she didn't want the influence of Latin culture to be obvious or based on tropical house - genre who was topping the charts at the time. "During my stay in Brazil, I fell in love with Bebel Gilberto and Bossacucanova. The songs has such a delicacy to it yet a strong lyrical content. That's what I wanted to achieve", says. "Later, I got to know Brazilian funk and I needed to infuse that on the album".

The work was almost done but both felt that something was missing. That was when, in Dominican Republic, a meeting with the electronic music duo Major Lazer culminated in an epiphany. "Diplo said the album needed a DNA that would go through all the tracks. So we added an electronic vibe and turned sad songs into happy. That felt right.", says LYNX. Songs like "Ruleta" and "Mr. Policeman", both big commercial hits, were produced during the last session.

## Title and packaging

A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. The word's origin is from the Greek words μῖσος (*mīsos*, "hatred") and ἄνθρωπος (*ānthropos*, "man, human"). The title, all in lower case, is inspired by the singer's isolation period, when she had almost no contact with other people due to disappointments and external pressure. The period means that the moment had its beginning and ending - which culminated in the album.

The cover artwork was all shot by German photographer Peter Lindbergh in Camboinhas Beach, Rio de Janeiro. The concept of the shoot was neutral clothing and make-up to evoke vulnerability.

## Review scores

### Slant

★★★★☆

"misanthrope." received mixed reviews from music critics. Rachel Aroesti of *The Guardian* gave the album three out of five stars commending LYNX's personality in some of the songs such as "Sad Girl Summer" and claimed that it is an album "that feels more like a crowdpleasing sign of the times than a particularly thrilling proposition in its own right".

Nick Levine of *NME* gave the album three and a half out of five stars and commended it overall, by claiming it "creates a sleek and cohesive blend of afrobeat and reggaeton bops and aromatic, bossa nova-flecked cuts".

Mike Nied of *Idolator* considered the album to be LYNX's "most generic feat to date". Michael Love of *Pitchfork* rated the album with a 6.0, stating "the same singer who delivered dense songs with meanings and melodies struggles to come out on songs like 'White Noise' and 'Blue Lights' but is overshadowed by her persona jumping the Latin bandwagon". Raisa Bruner of *Time* said LYNX "left us hanging for more of her debut and less of generic pieces who could be on any Spotify playlist".

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave a positive review saying, "This music is stylish without being flashy, thanks in large part to the charmingly tuneful, sturdy songs

According to Lynsey Hanley from newspaper *The Daily Telegraph*, LYNX's new musical direction was "a brave move, given that high-sheen tropical is currently the main mode of expression for female pop performers, but LYNX lilting vocals and only faintly suggestive image suit this album's less aggressive style".

## Singles

* Mr. Policeman (feat. Popcaan)
* So Much Better (feat. G-Eazy)
* Ruleta (feat. J. Balvin & Bad Bunny)
* Lose My Cool