Mirrorland is the major label debut studio album by American hip hop duo EarthGang, released on September 6, 2019 by Dreamville, Interscope, and Spillage Village.
The production of the album was handled by a variety of producers including Olu, J. Cole, Elite, Ron Gilmore, Christo, Bink, DJ Dahi, Childish Major and Groove, among others.
"[8] In an interview with Pitchfork, Olu said the album is inspired by The Wiz, the 1978 film adaptation of the Broadway musical based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
We thought about how, if we're going to make a project sonically to rival The Wiz, we got to create another world for people to imagine and go to.
That song was recorded about halfway through completing Mirrorland, and it represented the frustration they had on the album's long-awaited release.
[9] In late 2015, EarthGang joined Mac Miller on the GO:OD AM tour, where WowGr8 was informed about the death of a longtime friend of his, who was killed attempting a robbery.
[9] None of songs from the recording sessions of the Dreamville compilation made it on Mirrorland, Olu mentioned that it "opened up the creative space" as they continued to work on the album.
[19] Jewel Wicker of Pitchfork called the album EarthGang's most cohesive project to date, saying "Mirrorland seduces listeners into the eclectic world of these two Atlanta dreamers.
This is most apparent on the bulbous funk of "Wings", where Olu name-drops local landmarks including Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, Interstate 85, and the Georgia Dome."
"[24] NME gave the album a four of five star rating saying "Johnny Venus and Doctur Dot prove to everyone that rap groups are on the rise.
"[22] Aaron Williams of Uproxx wrote a favorable review of the album saying "Mirrorland doesn't quite paint a picture of a new place as it does thoroughly explain Earthgang's unique outlook — and the history and locations that influenced it."