Alessia Cara has announced that her third studio album In The Meantime will be released on September 24 via Def Jam Recordings. The album, which follows up 2018’s The Pains of Growing, will feature the recently released singles “Sweet Dream” and “Shapeshifter.”
“So excited to finally start this new era,” Cara wrote on Twitter following the announcement of In The Meantime. “Best thing I’ve made so far & so so much more coming love you thanks for waiting.”
In July, the Grammy Award-winning singer offered the two aforementioned lead singles to present the theme of In The Meantime.
“The theme of duality is recurring on this next album, so it made sense to release two songs to introduce both ends of the thread,” Cara explained. “The first side being ‘Sweet Dream’ which represents the hardship & helplessness surrounding my last couple of years. It’s about insomnia and the hoops my brain jumps through at night while I’m supposed to be asleep. Never fun!”
“Then on the flip side, there’s ‘Shapeshifter’ which is witty and sophisticated in a way that I feel represents the more mature and light-hearted parts of the album. I had to go through lots of pain to regain my footing and this song feels unwavering, despite it not being about the happiest of things.”
Of “Shapeshifter,” she shared: “[This] represents the more sophisticated and fiery parts of the album. I had to experience different forms of pain to regain my footing and this song feels unwavering, despite it not being about the happiest of things (got my feelings hurt whatever).”
Cara has begun building a narrative world for In The Meantime through its two singles. The visuals for the project thus far have been character driven and attentive to detail as a means of accurately portraying the storytelling presented through the singer’s lyrics.