To Be Eaten Alive is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah the Scientist.[1][2] The album was released on October 27, 2023, through Buckles Laboratories and Epic Records.[3] The album features guest appearances from Vory, 21 Savage, and Young Thug with production from herself alongside producers such as 18yoman, Kaytranada, London on da Track, Nineteen85, and WondaGurl, next to several other producers.[4]

To Be Eaten Alive
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 27, 2023 (2023-10-27)
GenreR&B
Length27:50
Label
  • Buckles Laboratories
  • Epic
Producer
Mariah the Scientist chronology
Ry Ry World
(2021)
To Be Eaten Alive
(2023)
Singles from To Be Eaten Alive
  1. "Bout Mine"
    Released: October 28, 2022
  2. "From a Woman"
    Released: October 13, 2023
  3. "Different Pages"
    Released: October 25, 2023

Background

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On October 28, 2022, Bout Mine was released as the first single from the album. The music video was released a week later on November 4, 2022. The track details "her frustrations about the romantic complications she is experiencing from a nonchalant lover".[5] The second single from the record, From A Woman, was released almost a year later on October 13, 2023. It was released in tandem with the track, From A Man, by her boyfriend Young Thug.[6][7] The album's final single, "Different Pages" was released two days prior to the release of the full project on October 25, 2023. Days before the album's release, Mariah's interview with Complex was released, in which she spoke about the album's title:[8]

I'm a Scorpio, so I compare myself to a scorpion. A scorpion, at first glance, it's more meek. It's in the cut, hiding away or something. You don't really know what it's capable of. There are a lot of animals that might have a bright color or something that will be identifiable or a smell that will make you not want to fuck with it. Scorpions don’t really have that, so you don't know what you're gonna get… And then you take another animal such as a lion, right? A lion can eat whatever it wants to eat. It is the king of the jungle. It is top of the food chain. It is great, powerful, big, noble. So the metaphor I came up with was that because it can be poisonous and venomous; if you were to eat it, it would kill you. So to be eaten alive is really to kill.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork6.3/10[9]

Writing for Pitchfork, Jackson Howard wrote that the album "ditches the well-drawn, sometimes-treacly origin stories of her first two full-lengths" and that "in their place is a collection of disappointingly aimless and often impersonal takes on distant love". Howard wrote that throughout the project, Mariah "sounds bored and uninspired, too exhausted by her circumstances to jolt herself awake". Concluding his review, he pointed out the production as the weakest point of the album, writing that "the beats are often the problem [on the album]" and that "the beats on To Be Eaten Alive are mostly plodding and bland, making the album’s 27-minute runtime feel twice as long as it actually is".[9]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Mariah Buckles. Featured artists are credited as co-writers.

To Be Eaten Alive track listing
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Heaven Is a Place on Earth"2:08
2."Good Times"
2:57
3."From a Woman"
3:02
4."40 Days n 40 Nights" (featuring Vory)
  • K Rain
  • Nineteen85
  • Treedot
3:16
5."Out of Luck"Kaytranada2:55
6."Bout Mine"WondaGurl2:27
7."77 Degrees" (featuring 21 Savage)
  • Natra Average
  • Treedot
2:46
8."Different Pages"
2:26
9."Lovesick"
  • K Rain
  • Nineteen85
2:53
10."Ride" (featuring Young Thug)
  • AJStayWorkin
  • DJ Moon
  • UV Killinem
3:00
Total length:27:50

Personnel

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  • Angad Bains – mastering (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7–10), mixing (1, 2, 4–10)
  • Johann Chavez – mastering (3)
  • Joe LaPorta – mastering (6)
  • Jean-Marie Horvat – mixing (3)
  • Aresh Banaji – mastering assistance (1, 2, 4, 5, 7–10)
  • Gustavo Sanchez – vocal engineering (10)

Charts

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Chart performance for To Be Eaten Alive
Chart (2023) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[10] 93
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[11] 41

References

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  1. ^ Kearns, Sarah (October 27, 2023). "Mariah the Scientist Shares Third Studio Album 'To Be Eaten Alive'". Hypebeast. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  2. ^ Horvath, Zachary (October 27, 2023). "Mariah The Scientist Brings On Young Thug, 21 Savage And More For "To Be Eaten Alive"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  3. ^ Lamarre, Carl (October 13, 2023). "Mariah The Scientist Signs With Epic Ahead of New Album 'To Be Eaten Alive'". Billboard. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  4. ^ Partridge, Ken (October 27, 2023). "Read All The Lyrics To Mariah The Scientist's New Album 'To Be Eaten Alive'". Genius. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  5. ^ Folk, Antwane (November 9, 2022). "Mariah the Scientist Shares New Song 'Bout Mine'". Rated R&B. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  6. ^ Lindert, Hattie (October 13, 2023). "Young Thug and Mariah the Scientist Share New Songs "From a Man" and "From a Woman": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  7. ^ Kreps, Daniel (October 13, 2023). "Young Thug Responds to Mariah the Scientist's New Song With 'From a Man'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  8. ^ McKinney, Jessica (October 23, 2023). "Read All The Lyrics To Mariah The Scientist's New Album 'To Be Eaten Alive'". Complex. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Howard, Jackson (November 28, 2023). "Mariah the Scientist: To Be Eaten Alive Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of November 11, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  11. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Week of November 11, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2023.