Mxmtoon’s newest and third studio album, “liminal space,” released Nov. 1, 2024, carries the artist’s dynamic essence more than ever. Since the 2022 release of “rising,” her second studio album, mxmtoon has released several singles, EPs and even a revisited version of her 2018 debut EP “plum blossom.” Mxmtoon’s music gained internet virality beginning in 2017 and rapidly picked up with the release of her 2019 debut studio album “the masquerade,” her unique style speaking to millions.
While “liminal space” is less upbeat than “rising” and much gentler in tone — albeit heavier lyrically — it carries the same underlying hope that is mxmtoon’s signature. Across mxmtoon’s discography, listeners are able to hear how she’s grown through the years on a journey of self-love and acceptance, creating music that is not only encouraging to her, but to her fans as well. Raw emotion shines through on “liminal space” stronger than ever and it feels even more personal than the albums that came before.
“Liminal space” acknowledges the challenges mxmtoon has faced in recent years. She expresses her frustrations about stereotypes pressed upon her as a woman and the struggles of growing up, missing her childhood sweetness.
“Dramatic escape,” the album’s opener, eases listeners into the album, but it’s not a weak start by any means. She expresses the want to get away from the stresses of everyday life, but as her lyrics reveal, she’s “not looking for a gradual change.”
“I hate texas” carries more energy with it than “dramatic escape” as a fictionalized version of mxmtoon moves from New York to Texas to avoid an unnamed figure from her past, assumingly an ex. The track captures the dramatic escape and measures people may take to avoid those who have negatively impacted them. Mxmtoon communicates anger, frustration and sadness, but also a new sense of independence, particularly with the line “I’m reclaiming my life ‘cause I know that it’s mine.”
“Working on ‘i hate texas’ felt like when I first started making music, like I was completely in my element,” mxmtoon said in an interview with Flood Magazine in July. “I felt inspired to get a little sarcastic and write a song with some kick to it, just as pure fun.”
“Rain,” the album’s third song, stems from mxmtoon’s discovery of her mother’s cancer diagnosis. It’s much softer, carrying a feeling of needing to leave where you are but not feeling unsure of where you’re going or when you’ll return.
“[‘rain’] was about that feeling of moving to a city and discovering who you are outside of your hometown and then having to go back to it before you’re ready,” mxmtoon said in a September TikTok.
In “elevator,” mxmtoon makes emotional distance between her and someone else. “I’m living through the process, you get to sit and watch it,” she sings. “My back’s so bent, it’s broken, and you’re too man to notice.” Likely a message to someone who kept her in a rigid role or held her to unrealistic expectations, she’s coming back into herself and acknowledging that healing is a process and she doesn’t need this person to heal.
“One more second ’til I shatter, I’ve been told to say I’m fine,” she sings in “just a little,” expressing her need to be able to let out her emotions and break free of expectations placed upon her to keep her feelings in. “Feel so much ’til I feel nothing,” repeats the bridge, representing the way mxmtoon was made to bottle up her emotions until they had the appearance of going away.
“VHS” directly confronts the idea of growing up and how odd it can feel to look back, considering it through her parents’ eyes. Mxmtoon describes the process of looking back on her childhood as akin to watching a videotape on VHS — fitting for a reflection on early childhood, as she was born in 2000.
Leading the the album’s second half, “number one boy” discusses mxmtoon’s desire to be regarded in the same way as her younger brother, feeling like she disappointed her parents as an eldest daughter. While she has referred to her gender identity as cisgender, she still envisions another universe in which she was born a boy, wondering if the disparity between how she is treated and how her brother is treated is because she is a woman or if it is because of the person she is.
With “passenger side,” the album returns to a more upbeat feeling with a stronger beat and more pop elements. “Used to think your love would be the end, then I went and found myself again,” mxmtoon sings, the confidence in her voice returning. The tune sounds similar to her songs on her album “rising,” mostly similar in instrumental style, possibly an additional reference to how she’s learning to return to her authentic self again. By staying true to what she wants, she’s resolving to “take back all the time wasted on a lover” and “sit back and enjoy the ride.”
“The situation,” featuring indie pop band Kero Kero Bonito, hides heavy lyrics facing growing up and death in a peppy, upbeat track comparing life to a rollercoaster ride. “We get older and then we die, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” mxmtoon sings, instead opting to “put her hands up high” and enjoy the ride.
“God?” directly addresses her confusions in finding faith in religion, talking about how “I do believe in something, I just don’t know what it is.” Returning to a bit of a calmer tone, she talks about how in being unsure of herself, she searches for a “greater purpose” and “divine signs.” While religion isn’t the place for her, she still tries to seek solace in the world around her and find some kind of answers among the supernatural.
Toward the end of the album, “now’s not the time,” featuring Luna Li, returns to a sobering somberness, talking about the weight of expectations placed upon mxmtoon as the eldest daughter. Expected to push her own problems aside for the good of others, her lyrics explain how she’s always told that “now’s not the time” when she tries to bring her own issues to light. She confronts the issues of growing up too fast and not being sure of who she is, as she is too used to masking her emotions to let them all out.
The 12th and final song of the album, “white out,” talks about self-destruction and feeling alone amidst her struggles. “What’s wrong with finding refuge in the white out?” she sings, finding solace in being alone but possibly going too far with self-isolation and pushing people away. Rather than bringing her journey to find herself to an end, though, “white out” sounds like the start of a new one, representing her commitment to a slow journey of healing and recovery.
“Liminal space” is a beautiful representation of the complicated emotions that come with growing up and a continued journey to self-healing. It speaks to the listener in profound ways, encouraging self-reflection and also serving as a reminder that it’s okay to slow down and feel a certain way. Regardless of if the listener shares similar experiences and feelings to those of mxmtoon’s, the album melds lyrics, tone and music to put the listener in her shoes as if going through the motions of life alongside her.
The “liminal space” tour will commence in Nashville, Tennessee Feb. 18, 2025, with a stop at Boston’s Roadrunner April 2, 2025.
