GO:OD AM

Background

On January 14, 2014, Miller announced that he was parting ways with Rostrum Records. On May 11, 2014, Miller released his tenth mixtape Faces. On October 21, 2014, news surfaced that Miller signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records, including a distribution deal for his label REMember Music. On July 30, 2015, Miller announced that he had completed his third studio album. On August 5, 2015, he revealed the album title, release date, as well as a music video for the lead single "100 Grandkids".

Release and promotion

On September 4, 2015, Miller released a mobile app that functions as an alarm and plays snippets of new music leading up to the album's release. Fans can also purchase a Breakfast Special Edition of the LP, packaging in a cereal box complete with cereal, a plastic cereal bowl, and a surprise item in addition to the CD and digital download. In the days leading up to the album's release, Miller hosted a series of free social events to promote the album, deemed Homecoming Weekend. The festival culminated with the album release show and subsequent international tour. Miller is touring internationally in support of the album on The GO:OD AM Tour, and it will be starting at his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Singles

The album's first single, "100 Grandkids" was released on August 7, 2015. On August 7, 2015, the music video was released for "100 Grandkids". The album's first promotional single, "Break the Law" was released on August 17, 2015. The album's second promotional single, "Clubhouse" was released on September 10, 2015. The album's second official single, "Weekend" featuring Miguel was released January 11, 2016.

Critical reception

GO:OD AM received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 71 based on 14 reviews. David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "Getting sober and ridding himself of depression are topics that GO:OD AM touches upon, but rather than his past, the 'show and prove' Miller is driven by his rebirth on an interesting and infectious LP that's also his strongest to date." Meghan Garvey of Billboard said, "On major-label debut GO:OD AM, his third and best studio album, Miller grapples frankly with fame, addiction, recovery and the struggle to be a decent person over taut, melancholy production that channels both bleary inebriation and hard-fought optimism." Andrew Gretchko of HipHopDX said, "If Miller’s sophomore album was a stepping stone that allowed him to climb above his partying past, GO:OD AM serves as a wakeup call for those that think his music is still best suited for frat parties. With a bright future ahead of him, Miller has positioned himself for career longevity, so long as he can keep his demons behind him." Chris Dart of Exclaim! stated, "If there's one flaw with this album, it's its length. If you make a 70-minute album, all 70 of those minutes better be phenomenal, and that's not the case here. Dropping two or three songs would be enough to turn this very good record into a brilliant one." Brian Duricy of PopMatters said, "Relying on his individuality yields his greatest results, but the album's most passable moments too."

Tayler Montague of Pitchfork said, "We might not learn a lot of specifics about him, but there's a lot of honesty in his music if you look for it." C. J. Rucker of The Source said, "GO:OD AM is the most transparent music Mac Miller has ever made and in doing so he has created a sonically cohesive and impressive album." Michael Madden of Consequence of Sound said, "Beyond rapping, producing, and singing, Mac must see himself as a total package, and at 70 minutes long, GO:OD AM was always bound to have a lot of elements clashing for space. Somehow, it still feels balanced. It's essentially an offbeat stoner rap album, but there's still plenty of melody, in Mac's own singing and the guest appearances from the likes of Miguel on "Weekend" and Nagano on "The Festival", as well as in the EDM of "Jump" at the end of the album." Lanre Bakare of The Guardian said, "It's musically adventurous in a way that recalls Chance the Rapper's Surf project, but takes fewer detours into psych and jazz." Michael G. Barilleaux of RapReviews.com said, "At the end of the day Mac Miller is without a doubt capable of bringing more to the table than shallow, boring rap. Unfortunately, he doesn't do much to prove that on GO:OD AM." Christopher R. Weingarten of Rolling Stone said, "GO:OD A.M. is a 70-minute studio album that would have been better served as two mixtape diary entries until the sober Miller discovered a smarter way to channel his newfound enthusiasm."

Commercial performance

In the United States, GO:OD AM debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, selling 73,000 copies in its first week. It was the third highest selling album in the United States during its debut week. As of October 2015, the album has sold 92,000 copies domestically.

Track listing

Notes