Mahalia - IRL (LP)

Mahalia’s second studio album, IRL, arrived on 18 August 2023 through Atlantic Records, and it feels like the moment her easygoing, diary-like R&B fully clicks into focus. The title spells it out. These are in real life songs, small truths sung with a calm clarity that sneaks up on you. She’s never been a belter, and that’s the charm. Mahalia writes like a friend who knows the messy details, then sings them with poise and a sly grin.

You hear that precision right away in Terms and Conditions, one of the album’s calling cards and one of her sharpest singles to date. It’s a boundary-setting anthem that stays breezy, all crisp drums and clean guitar, while she lays out the rules with a tone that’s firm but affectionate. The hook sticks without shouting. It’s the kind of song you end up quoting in texts, then humming in the queue at the café.

Cheat, her duet with JoJo, is the headline feature and it earns the marquee placement. There’s a classic R&B tug-of-war built into the writing, but the two singers play it with restraint, trading verses like notes left on a kitchen table. JoJo’s practiced muscle blends with Mahalia’s lighter touch, and the harmonies fall together like an apology said a beat too late. It’s a grown conversation, not a blowout, which makes it hit harder.

What’s changed since her debut, Love and Compromise, is the way the production gives her space. IRL favors warm, tactile textures, the kind of live-feeling basslines and Rhodes keys that flatter her conversational phrasing. On the lighter cuts she sounds unbothered and magnetic, the friend who’s already done the work in therapy and won’t let you spiral alone. On the slower ones, the room gets quiet and you notice how carefully she places each line, how she leaves air around the words so the feeling can land.

Mahalia has said this record draws directly from the last few years of real life growth, and that honesty shows up in the writing. There are songs here about drawing the line, about choosing to be soft, about knowing when to sit with a feeling rather than chase a fix. Nothing feels overcooked. The melodies glide, the beats keep a pocket that nods to classic late 90s and early 2000s R&B without leaning on nostalgia. It’s contemporary in that understated UK way, polished but human.

If you’re crate-digging and thinking about Mahalia vinyl, IRL is the one to grab. It’s the kind of album that rewards a full side spin, start to finish, with no urge to skip. The sequencing is thoughtful, letting the big singles do their thing while the deep cuts knit the mood together. On vinyl, those low-end details and layered harmonies bloom, which suits a singer who works in shades rather than neon.

There’s also a quiet confidence that makes the whole set feel lived-in. You can imagine these songs opening her shows and closing them too, depending on the crowd and the night. She doesn’t overplay her hand, which means the choruses creep up on you during the week. A line you thought was cute on Friday suddenly feels like advice on Tuesday. That’s Mahalia’s superpower. She writes about ordinary mess with the steadiness of someone who plans to be around.

If you like to buy Mahalia records online, IRL vinyl is easy to recommend for the shelf next to modern R&B standouts. People who come into a Melbourne record store asking where to start with her usually leave with this one. It’s approachable, it’s cohesive, and it shows what she does best without any dead weight. If you’re building a small stack of Mahalia albums on vinyl, this sits right beside Love and Compromise as the clearer, wiser sibling.

IRL didn’t arrive with a drumroll so much as a knowing nod, but that suits the album’s spirit. It’s confident enough not to chase the moment, and generous enough to meet you in yours. Put it on in the late afternoon, let the room warm up, and you’ll hear why this record has stuck around for so many fans. In real life, that’s how albums earn their keep.