# Red Pill Blues
**Red Pill Blues** is the sixth studio album by the American pop rock band [Maroon 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/maroon-5), released on November 3, 2017 through 222 Records and [Interscope Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/interscope-records).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0003114913) • [2](https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/_4c3d592f190bcd57ffbe5d0cf2e3faa5/livenationentertainment/news/2017-10-26_Maroon_5_Announces_2018_Red_Pill_Blues_472.pdf) The ten-track standard edition runs about 42 minutes, opens with "Best 4 U," and closes with the eleven-minute jam "Closure."[3](https://interscope.com/collections/maroon-5/products/red-pill-blues-vinyl) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/red-pill-blues-mw0003114913) Its biggest hit, "Girls Like You" featuring [Cardi B](https://www.edgepedia.org/cardi-b), was added after the original release and became a Diamond-certified number-one single.[5](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/red-pill-blues-maroon-5-album/) • [6](https://cadenaser.com/andalucia/2026/07/09/llega-por-primera-vez-a-sevilla-maroon-5-la-cita-en-iconica-santalucia-sevilla-fest-radio-sevilla/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist and release | Sixth studio album by Maroon 5; released November 3, 2017 on 222/Interscope[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0003114913) • [2](https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/_4c3d592f190bcd57ffbe5d0cf2e3faa5/livenationentertainment/news/2017-10-26_Maroon_5_Announces_2018_Red_Pill_Blues_472.pdf) |
| Standard tracklist | 10 tracks, about 42 minutes, from "Best 4 U" to "Closure"[3](https://interscope.com/collections/maroon-5/products/red-pill-blues-vinyl) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/red-pill-blues-mw0003114913) |
| Title | References Neo's red pill or blue pill choice in the film classic *The Matrix*[7](https://www.universal-music.de/maroon-5/news/red-pill-blues-veroeffentlicht-holt-euch-das-neue-album-von-maroon-5-245614) |
| Cover | The seven band members photographed with Snapchat filters[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/red-pill-blues-mw0003114913) |
| Sound | The band's most minimal-sounding and most electronic album, produced with Noah "Mailbox" Passovoy[8](https://www.waves.com/producing-maroon5-noah-passovoy) |
| Guest artists | SZA, Kendrick Lamar, Future, A$AP Rocky, Julia Michaels, LunchMoney Lewis, and Cardi B on the later-added "Girls Like You"[9](https://www.metacritic.com/music/red-pill-blues) • [5](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/red-pill-blues-maroon-5-album/) |
| Critical scores | Metascore 58 from 8 critic reviews; user score 4.7 from 159 ratings[9](https://www.metacritic.com/music/red-pill-blues) |
## Title and cover
The title plays on the choice Neo faces in *The Matrix* between the red pill, which reveals an unwelcome truth, and the blue pill, which preserves comfortable ignorance; the band said the name reflected how harsh a true view of the world could be in 2017.[7](https://www.universal-music.de/maroon-5/news/red-pill-blues-veroeffentlicht-holt-euch-das-neue-album-von-maroon-5-245614) The phrase had also been co-opted online by men's rights activists, a connection the band did not intend; according to Pitchfork, the members did not know the term had become linked to the alt-right.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/red-pill-blues-mw0003114913) • [10](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/maroon-5-red-pill-blues/) The album cover shows the seven-member band wearing Snapchat filters.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/red-pill-blues-mw0003114913)
## Recording and production
Producer, engineer, and mixer Noah "Mailbox" Passovoy, whose credits include [Katy Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/katy-perry), Taylor Swift, and [Charli XCX](https://www.edgepedia.org/charli-xcx), led the production.[8](https://www.waves.com/producing-maroon5-noah-passovoy) The band's schedules and commitments made recording together in one room virtually impossible, so Passovoy used Avid Cloud Collaboration for Pro Tools to record members remotely at any time.[11](https://www.avinteractive.com/news/audio/maroon-5-records-red-pill-blues-avid-pro-tools-05-12-2017/) Sessions took place at Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood, with first teasers from the sessions appearing on the band's social media in March 2017.[5](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/red-pill-blues-maroon-5-album/) Mixing was done by Serban Ghenea, a pop engineer known for hundreds of Hot 100 credits.[10](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/maroon-5-red-pill-blues/)
Passovoy described the record as deceptively simple: rather than filling space, each song supports a single cohesive idea. The bass on the opener "Best 4 U" combines four or five layers of live and synth bass, leveled together with compression.[8](https://www.waves.com/producing-maroon5-noah-passovoy) The closing track "Closure" arose when [Adam Levine](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-levine) proposed finishing the record with a jam; the whole band came in and played live, and the takes were assembled into an extended piece that AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, a music critic, called an 11-minute smooth-funk jam that throws the album's strict structure out the window.[8](https://www.waves.com/producing-maroon5-noah-passovoy) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/red-pill-blues-mw0003114913)
## Sound and songs
The album is a deliberate departure from the band's earlier guitar-based sound. Reviewers describe it as the band's most modern, synthetic-sounding electro-pop release, with modern R&B and hip-hop influences prominent on songs such as "Best 4 U," "Wait," and "Who I Am," while the classic pop-rock element is less pronounced.[12](https://www.aceanj.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Maroon-5.pdf) AllMusic characterizes the production as an EDM-inspired digital collage that pushes the groove front and center while retaining strong song foundations.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/red-pill-blues-mw0003114913)
The guest list drew attention. SZA duets with Levine on "What Lovers Do," whose opening vocal effects are sampled from Neiked and Dyo's song "Sexual."[10](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/maroon-5-red-pill-blues/) • [8](https://www.waves.com/producing-maroon5-noah-passovoy) [Kendrick Lamar](https://www.edgepedia.org/kendrick-lamar) appears on "Don't Wanna Know," Future on "Cold," A$AP Rocky on "Whiskey," [Julia Michaels](https://www.edgepedia.org/julia-michaels) on "Help Me Out," and LunchMoney Lewis on "Who I Am."[9](https://www.metacritic.com/music/red-pill-blues) Songwriter John Ryan, a veteran of [One Direction](https://www.edgepedia.org/one-direction)'s writing team, co-wrote several tracks including "Wait" and "Bet My Heart."[10](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/maroon-5-red-pill-blues/)
## Singles and commercial performance
"What Lovers Do" with SZA charted across two years, appearing at number 97 on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2017 and number 89 on the 2018 list.[13](https://musicbrainz.org/release/a9c3ef54-df8b-4968-bdf1-9a188138b539) The album's largest hit came roughly six months after the original release: "Girls Like You" featuring Cardi B was left off the standard edition but added to deluxe versions, and it became a Diamond-certified single that reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the [Top 40](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-40) chart, and Adult Pop radio.[5](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/red-pill-blues-maroon-5-album/) • [6](https://cadenaser.com/andalucia/2026/07/09/llega-por-primera-vez-a-sevilla-maroon-5-la-cita-en-iconica-santalucia-sevilla-fest-radio-sevilla/) The Recording Industry Association of America certified the album on May 17, 2018.[14](https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LAW_albums0613.pdf) In support of the release, the band announced the 2018 Red Pill Blues Tour, produced by Live Nation, on October 26, 2017.[2](https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/_4c3d592f190bcd57ffbe5d0cf2e3faa5/livenationentertainment/news/2017-10-26_Maroon_5_Announces_2018_Red_Pill_Blues_472.pdf)
## Critical reception
Reviews were mixed. On Metacritic the album holds a Metascore of 58 based on 8 critic reviews, with 3 positive, 4 mixed, and 1 negative, and a user score of 4.7.[9](https://www.metacritic.com/music/red-pill-blues) [Entertainment Weekly](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment-weekly) gave 75 and called it the band's best and most cohesive set of the decade; AllMusic and Rolling Stone each scored it 70, with AllMusic praising its sleek, assured mood and Rolling Stone noting Levine's ease across house beats and ballads.[9](https://www.metacritic.com/music/red-pill-blues) At the lower end, Pitchfork scored it 48, Slant Magazine and The Independent 40, and The Skinny 20, with The Independent's critic finding the melodies forgettable moments after hearing them.[9](https://www.metacritic.com/music/red-pill-blues) Common threads in negative reviews were heavy vocal editing and a perceived drift from the band's rock roots toward radio-friendly pop production.[10](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/maroon-5-red-pill-blues/) • [15](https://www.campustimes.org/2017/11/05/224602/)
## References
1. [Red Pill Blues – Maroon 5, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0003114913)
2. [Maroon 5 Announces 2018 Red Pill Blues Tour, Live Nation Entertainment press release (October 26, 2017)](https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/_4c3d592f190bcd57ffbe5d0cf2e3faa5/livenationentertainment/news/2017-10-26_Maroon_5_Announces_2018_Red_Pill_Blues_472.pdf)
3. [Red Pill Blues Vinyl, Interscope Records](https://interscope.com/collections/maroon-5/products/red-pill-blues-vinyl)
4. [Red Pill Blues review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/red-pill-blues-mw0003114913)
5. ['Red Pill Blues': Another Dancefloor High For Maroon 5, uDiscover Music](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/red-pill-blues-maroon-5-album/)
6. [Maroon 5 y cómo superó ser un 'one hit wonder', Cadena SER (2025)](https://cadenaser.com/andalucia/2026/07/09/llega-por-primera-vez-a-sevilla-maroon-5-la-cita-en-iconica-santalucia-sevilla-fest-radio-sevilla/)
7. ["Red Pill Blues" veröffentlicht, Universal Music Deutschland](https://www.universal-music.de/maroon-5/news/red-pill-blues-veroeffentlicht-holt-euch-das-neue-album-von-maroon-5-245614)
8. [Producing Maroon 5's Red Pill Blues with Noah Passovoy, Waves Audio (February 7, 2019)](https://www.waves.com/producing-maroon5-noah-passovoy)
9. [Red Pill Blues by Maroon 5 Reviews and Tracks, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/red-pill-blues)
10. [Maroon 5: Red Pill Blues Album Review by Jayson Greene, Pitchfork (November 8, 2017)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/maroon-5-red-pill-blues/)
11. [Maroon 5 records Red Pill Blues with Avid Pro Tools, AV Magazine (December 5, 2017)](https://www.avinteractive.com/news/audio/maroon-5-records-red-pill-blues-avid-pro-tools-05-12-2017/)
12. [Maroon 5 profile, ACE/anj](https://www.aceanj.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Maroon-5.pdf)
13. [Release "Red Pill Blues" by Maroon 5, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/a9c3ef54-df8b-4968-bdf1-9a188138b539)
14. [RIAA 2017 album certifications list](https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LAW_albums0613.pdf)
15. [Maroon 5 exhibits pop centrism on 'Red Pill Blues', Campus Times (November 5, 2017)](https://www.campustimes.org/2017/11/05/224602/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Pop albums › 2010s albums › Fourth and later albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license