Dedicated to five years of In the Meantime, this anniversary digital issue is a tribute to the music, memories, and emotional depth of Alessia Cara’s third studio album. Flip through the pages to experience the era once again through archival visuals, behind-the-scenes moments, and exclusive bonus content.
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- Page 2In the meantime turns 5 today. I know no one really cares about album anniversaries as much as the people who made them, in large part because those projects bottled a younger, unknowing iteration of who they were and sealed it tight. In my case at least, it’s not until these moments that I crack open that seal and peek inside. I started making this album at the height of the most crucial time in life. It was during that part of your early 20s when there is more road ahead of you than behind and it feels catastrophic rather than pacifying. When you take extra time in the mirror pinning back skin on your body, sculpting a cutout of yourself you think you’d be pleased with, only to realize later that you were living in the version of you you’d one day look for again. The part that is messy and scary, constantly buzzing with possibility and fear of which way the wind will tip you, not yet knowing it can be up to you. The world was quite literally falling apart; nothing made sense (within or outside of me). I was snugly hiding behind whimsy and fantasy, attempting to outrun an unrelenting loneliness that only a lotttt of time can help you recognize as the benevolent friend you need.
- Page 3Surprisingly for my younger self, I look back at this time, creatively and personally, with such fondness and realize now that I'm always learning from that girl with the same clarity I hope she has learned from me. I miss her in a way. I'm proud of her and what she made. sometimes despite the truckload of pain and sometimes because of it. Thank you to everyone who held my hand through it and lent their gifts to this album that I love so much! 23 to 30 has been quite the journey! Thank you for listening. I hope you see some of you in here. maybe some old you or some now you. It gets so much better! ITMT 4LIFE!!! NOW FOR THE FUN PART🧡💙 this week to celebrate, I will be sharing photos, videos, sounds, and thoughts from this album process as a little thank you gift to you. The first batch are in this book. There are some BTS photos, videos, voice-notes of my writing process, and an unreleased demo called ‘Far Away (freestyle)’. and maybe some more later. see you back here soon xxxx
- CreditsPRODUCERS: Banx & Ranx, Billboard (Producer), Boi-1da, Cameron Bright, Doc McKinney, Don Mills (Producer), Greg Kurstin, Hrag Sanbalian, Jake Torrey, Jason Evigan, Jeff Halavacs, Joel Little, Jon Levine, Mike Wise, Salaam Remi, Sir Dylan, Spencer Stewart & YogiTheProducer
- TracklistUnboxing Intro Box in the Ocean
- Unboxing intro01 Cloudy blue sky (Blue sky), over me
- Box in The Ocean02 All these explosive emotions I'm holdin'
- Page 803 Bluebird
- Page 904 Lie to Me
- Page 1005 Shapeshifter
- Page 1106 FishBowl
- I Miss You, Don't Call me07 You played, I came to visit
- Middle GroundFT. CHIKA 08
- Somebody Else09 I don't know you, it was nice to for a while
- Drama Queen10 They tell us love done the right way is drainin'
- ClockWork11 It's like clockwork
- Page 1712 Best Days
- Sweet Dream13 4:55, everybody else is snoring
- Page 1914 Find My Boy
- Page 2015 Voice In My Head
- Page 2116 Slow Lie
- Page 2217 You Let Me Down
- Page 2318 Apartment Song
- Page 24Here are some of original voicenotes I recorded while writing In The Meantime, or the beginning inklings of it.
- APARTMENT SONG, MAY 7 2020BLUEBIRD, AUGUST 28, 2020 YOU LET ME DOWN, JAN 2 2020
- Page 27I started making this album at home in Toronto (pandemic was still raging and we couldn't fly yet! This is from one of those earlier sessions during my week with Mike Wise. We hit it off right away. Find My Boy happened pretty quickly that day, which to me always means that the song was meant to exist and should probably come out. This one is about manifesting your soulmate and the sheer curiosity of wondering who / where they are. It was me throwing a hail Mary lol
- Page 32When things got a bit safer, I took a road trip to montreal to work with some really great people, including Doc Mckinney (pictured here). We made Somebody Else this day. One of the ITMT sleepers, in my humblest opinion!
- Page 34then I went back to Toronto to work with Jon, who I've been working with for years and love dearly. It's always a stupid time! These are from when we finished producing and recording proper vocals for Box In The Ocean and Best Days.
- Page 35We even accidentally got the Holiday Stuff cover out of it, courtesy of Liv. and our Moody's Mood rendition. This would be the text of my paragraph. Replace it with your own content.
- Live PerformancesBest Days (Live) Bluebird (Live Acoustic)
- Lie To Me (Live from VEVOSTUDIO)Sweet Dream (Live from VEVOSTUDIO) Shapeshifter (Live from VEVOSTUDIO)
- In The MeantimeMERCH COLLECTION Add to Cart
- 'Black In The Meantime' Cropped HoodieGrey 'Best Days' Hoodie 'Are You A Fool' Slate Blue Crewneck
Text of this page
- Best Days
- So much harder to be honest
- With yourself at twenty-somethin'
- Wish I knew what I'm becomin'
And felt the ground while I was on it
Hopin', waitin' on a moment
Not knowin' if it's comin' or it's goin', mm
What if my best days are the days I've left behind?
And what if the rest stays the same for all my life?
I'm runnin' with my eyes closed, so it goes
You live and then you die
But the hardest pill to swallow is the meantime
Are the best days just the ones that we survive?
If I had known to feel thе fire (Fire)
I would've thrown my arms up highеr (Higher)
Woulda held on a little tighter
'Cause you don't know a thing you miss 'til it's behind you, mm
What if my best days are the days I've left behind?
And what if the rest stays the same for all my life?
I'm runnin' with my eyes closed, so it goes
You live and then you die
But the hardest pill to swallow is the meantime
Are the best days just the ones that we survive?
What if my best days are the days I've left behind?
And what if the rest stays the same for all my life?
What if the best days are the days I've left behind? (Ooh, ooh, ooh)
And what if the rest stays the same for all my life? (Ooh, ooh, ooh)