Maps of Music

In Real Life (2022)

Where the lyrics of In Real Life take you, and where it was really made.

The album's title track began as an acoustic Instagram clip Mandy Moore shared during quarantine, before she became a mother.

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Moore gave birth to her first child with husband Taylor Goldsmith, frontman of Dawes, in February 2021
After the birth, she returned to the studio to record new music
The songs were written with her husband during the COVID-19 pandemic
Collaborators included longtime producer Mike Viola
Dawes drummer Griffin Goldsmith and keyboardist Lee Pardini also took part
Guitarists Madison Cunningham and Sean Watkins contributed
Bassists Davey Faragher and Sebastian Steinberg also played on the album
Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius also worked on the album

Credits list many session musicians and writers beyond Moore and her husband
Personnel credits were adapted from AllMusic
The album is described as a gentler follow-up to Silver Landings, focused on domestic life

Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress.
She rose to fame with her 1999 debut single "Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her debut album So Real (1999) received Platinum certification from the RIAA.
Her first Top 40 single was "I Wanna Be with You" from the 2000 reissue I Wanna Be With You, peaking at 24.
Her studio albums include Mandy Moore (2001), Coverage (2003), Wild Hope (2007), Amanda Leigh (2009), Silver Landings (2020), and In Real Life (2022).
She starred in A Walk to Remember (2002) and voiced Rapunzel in Disney's Tangled (2010).
From 2016 to 2022 she starred as Rebecca Pearson in the NBC drama This Is Us, earning Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominations.
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019.

AllMusic gave the album a positive rating of three and a half stars
AllMusic said the album is gentler than its predecessor, concentrating on domestic warmth where partners are healthy enough to meet in the middle
AllMusic described the album as a welcoming, cheery sound that matches Moore's optimism
AllMusic added that it is hard not to wish for an occasional loose end or ragged fringe
Riff Magazine's Mike DeWald wrote that the album showcases Moore's growth and maturity as both a songwriter and performer
DeWald called the album fun and breezy
DeWald said it feels authentic to Moore's personal experience
The album received generally positive reviews from music critics overall

Moore posted an acoustic version of "In Real Life", the album's first song, as a short Instagram clip before the album was announced
On March 9, 2022, Moore said in an Instagram post that the song would also be the album's title, calling it a product of creative catharsis during quarantine
The music video for "In Real Life" was published on her YouTube channel on March 18, 2022
The video featured her son, her husband, celebrity friends, and the cast of the NBC drama This Is Us, in which Moore is a main cast member
On May 11, 2022, Moore announced a North American tour on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, beginning in Atlanta
After 12 gigs, the rest of the tour was cancelled because of her pregnancy