Cinematic
Studio album by
Owl City
ReleasedJune 1, 2018 (2018-06-01)
RecordedJanuary 2017[1]
StudioSky Harbor Studios, Owatonna, Minnesota
Genre
Length73:22
ProducerAdam Young
Owl City chronology
Reel 3
(2018)		 Cinematic
(2018)		 Coco Moon
(2023)
Singles from Cinematic
  1. "Not All Heroes Wear Capes"
    Released: June 15, 2017
  2. "All My Friends"
    Released: November 3, 2017
  3. "Lucid Dream"
    Released: January 12, 2018
  4. "New York City"
    Released: March 9, 2018

Cinematic is the sixth studio album by Owl City. It was released independently via Sky Harbor on June 1, 2018. The album debuted at number 115 on the Billboard 200. Upon the albums release, Young released three "reels" EPs that would include some songs on the album.[2]

Background and composition

Following the 2015 Owl City album Mobile Orchestra, Adam Young announced that he would suspend work on Owl City to undertake a project of instrumental scores; he released one score, or album, each month in 2016 except January.[3] Also in 2016, he released a Christmas single named "Humbug," which was released for free download and independently.[4][5]

Young hinted after the conclusion of the Scores project that work on Owl City had resumed and a new album was in progress; this was revealed, on October 30, 2017, to be Cinematic.[6] Young distinguished Cinematic from existing Owl City releases by stating that its content would center around events from his life rather than ethereal concepts (he clarified after the album's release that all prior Owl City work "was pure imagination," and Cinematic was "the first album [to] hold songs written from a personal perspective").[7] Album artwork and release date were revealed concurrently with the name, followed shortly by a track listing. The album has 18 tracks in total, with 15 main songs and 3 alternate recordings.[8]

The album has a more personal and autobiographical theme to it. Young had written songs about his hometown, family and his personal experiences. Musically, the album contains pop, ballads, rock and electronic sounds.[2]

Release

Young elected to precipitate Cinematic's release with three successive "reels," each containing three songs from the full album. Early releases included the album's lead single "All My Friends," which was released on November 3, 2017[9] and would go on to comprise part of Reel 1, and "Not All Heroes Wear Capes," which was released on June 15, 2017, dedicated for Father's Day of that year. It was originally intended as a non-album single, but would go on to comprise part of Reel 2 and Cinematic.[10]

Reel 1 was released on December 1, 2017, and, in addition to "All My Friends," included "Fiji Water" and "The 5th of July."[11]

"Lucid Dream," intended as the lead single for Reel 2, was released on January 12, 2018.[12] The reel itself was released on February 2, including, in addition to "Lucid Dream," "Montana" and a new electric version of "Not All Heroes Wear Capes."[13] The acoustic Father's Day recording would not go on to be part of the final Cinematic album alongside its electric cousin, nor would an acoustic version of "Montana" that was released shortly after Reel 2 (which differs from the album's alternative version of the same song).

The lead single for Reel 3, "New York City," was released on March 9, 2018,[14] with the reel following on April 6. In addition to "New York City," it included "Cloud Nine" and "Be Brave."[15]

Music videos were recorded for each of the three lead singles and released concurrently. Each video features the same characters and is loosely connected to the others; a "director's cut" of all three was released shortly after the standalone version of the third.

Cinematic and its preceding reels were released on Sky Harbor Records, an independent label owned by Young, confirming the end of Owl City's affiliation with Universal Republic. (All albums from the Scores project had been released on Sky Harbor, but under Young's own name, not as Owl City.) In addition to Cinematic, Sky Harbor retains the copyright to Owl City's first two studio works, Of June and Maybe I'm Dreaming, as well as An Airplane Carried Me to Bed, an album of Young's pre-Owl City work that Universal Republic published.[16]

Cinematic was not released on CD until August 15, 2022.

Promotion

The Cinematic North American and Asian tours occurred respectively from September 13, 2018, to October 14, 2018, and from November 7, 2018, to November 24, 2018.[17]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
CCM Magazine[18]
Cross Rhythms[19]
Jesus Freak Hideout[8]
Sputnikmusic2/5[20]

Cinematic was generally received with positive reviews. Matt Conner of CCM Magazine stated, "If you're already a fan of Owl City's easygoing synthpop structures, you'll find lots to like here." He highlights "The 5th of July", "Lucid Dream", "New York City" and "Always" as the standout tracks.[18] Tony Cummings of Cross Rhythms stated that "All My Friends" has "a bit of Ed Sheeran in its structure and sound." He also described "Lucid Dream" as "the most EDM-sounding track on the album, and with some clever lyrics."[19] Christopher Smith of Jesus Freak Hideout remarked, "Many tracks start and end without leaving a lasting impression, but nonetheless put you in a good mood due to the cheerful synth pop soundscapes and optimistic lyrics." He described the tracks "Fiji Water", "Lucid Dream" and "Firebird" as pleasant songs to listen to. He also called "House Wren" as the standout track on the album "that displays Young's strengths as a composer and songwriter."[8] Sameen Amer of The News International gave a mixed review for the album stating, "Cinematic, continues in search of another irresistible banger but falls fairly short as he treads familiar grounds on this overlong set. He criticized the lyrics on songs such as "Not All Heroes Wear Capes" and "Winners Never Quit" describing them as "clichéd." However, he praised the song "House Wren" for its "twinkling beat and bird sounds" that will, "generate smiles on some faces."[21]

Commercial performance

Cinematic debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 115.[22] Additionally, the album peaked at number 25 on the Australian Digital Albums chart[23] and number five on the New Zealand Heatseeker Albums chart.[24] On June 4, 2018, the Official Charts Company released their midweek chart predictions, and placed Cinematic at debuting at number 100 on the UK Official Albums Chart Top 100.[25] The album ultimately peaked at number 34 on the UK Album Downloads Chart.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Adam Young

Cinematic[26]
No.TitleLength
1."Fiji Water"4:20
2."The 5th of July"4:11
3."All My Friends"3:25
4."House Wren"3:30
5."Not All Heroes Wear Capes"3:46
6."Montana"4:06
7."Lucid Dream"4:21
8."Always"4:38
9."Cloud Nine"3:52
10."Winners Never Quit"3:39
11."Madeline Island"4:36
12."Be Brave"5:15
13."New York City"3:44
14."Firebird"3:59
15."Cinematic"4:13
16."All My Friends" (alternative version)3:28
17."Montana" (alternative version)3:49
18."Firebird" (alternative version)4:30
Total length:73:22

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[23] 25
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[24] 5
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[27] 34
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[28] 26
US Billboard 200[22] 115
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[29] 8

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various June 1, 2018 Digital download Sky Harbor [26]
Vinyl

References

  1. ↑ "Owl City - About". owlcitymusic.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Dale Kawashima (June 8, 2018). "Pop/Electronic Artist Owl City (Adam Young) Talks About His Album Cinematic, And His Hit Songs Fireflies and Good Time". Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Project - Adam Young Scores". Adam Young Scores. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  4. ↑ Joe DeAndra (November 28, 2016). "Owl City Gifts New Holiday Song Humbug". Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Humbug - Single by Owl City". Apple Music. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Owl City - Cinematic (Album Announcement)". YouTube. October 30, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  7. ↑ "r/popheads - Comment by u/owlcityofficial on "I'm Owl City. I like birdwatching and collecting vintage cast iron skillets. I also make music. I'm here to chew bubblegum and talk about my new album Cinematic. AMA."". reddit. June 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 Christopher Smith (June 6, 2018). "Owl City — Cinematic". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Owl City Announces Cinematic Album Pre-Order And Releases New Single, All My Friends". November 3, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  10. ↑ Ashley Iasimone (June 16, 2017). "Owl City Dedicates 'Not All Heroes Wear Capes' Video to Dad for Father's Day: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Reel 1 - EP by Owl City". Spotify. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  12. ↑ @owlcity (January 23, 2018). "The music video for "Lucid Dream" is out this Thursday, but we've got a sneak peek over at!…" (Tweet). Retrieved April 22, 2018 – via Twitter.
  13. ↑ "Owl City Releases Reel 2". February 2, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Owl City Releases New York City". March 9, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Reel 3 - EP by Owl City". Spotify. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  16. ↑ The official CDs for all three of these albums are printed with "Sky Harbor Records," noting that they are "manufactured and distributed by Universal Republic" (or some similar phrase).
  17. ↑ GMA (April 23, 2018). "Owl City Announces Cinematic North American Tour". The Gospel Music Association. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  18. 1 2 Matt Conner (July 6, 2018). "Owl City — Cinematic Album Review". CCM Magazine. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  19. 1 2 Tony Cummings (July 12, 2018). "Review: Cinematic - Owl City". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Owl City — Cinematic". Sputnikmusic. June 10, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  21. ↑ Sameen Amer (June 2, 2018). "Owl City's Cinematic falls fairly short". The News International. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  22. 1 2 "Owl City Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  23. 1 2 "ARIA Digital Albums – Week Commencing 11th June 2018" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. June 11, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  24. 1 2 "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 11, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Update Top 100 04 June 2018 - 10 June 2018". Official Charts. June 4, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  26. 1 2 "Cinematic by Owl City on iTunes". iTunes Store. June 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Owl City Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
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