In Search of the Antidote

In Search of the Antidote is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Fletcher. It was released on March 22, 2024, through Capitol Records.^[1]

In Search of the Antidote
Studio album by Fletcher
Released	March 22, 2024 (2024-03-22)
Length	31:20
Label	Capitol
Producer	Jennifer Decilveo One Love Pete Nappi Jon Bellion The Monsters & Strangerz
Fletcher chronology
Girl of My Dreams (2022) In Search of the Antidote (2024)
Singles from In Search of the Antidote
"Eras of Us" Released: December 8, 2023 "Lead Me On" Released: January 25, 2024 "Doing Better" Released: March 1, 2024 "Pretending" Released: March 22, 2024

Background

In Search of the Antidote explores themes of "identity, insecurity, ego, and self-fulfillment", containing "distinct production" as well as "powerful vocal delivery".^[2] A "personal" record, Fletcher acts as the "creative pivot"^[3] and examines the singer's "ultra-vivid storytelling and unfiltered introspection". Talking about the topic, Fletcher revealed that she had been looking for "the antidote in so many things" over the years, such as "women, the road, the stage, fans, spirituality and self-reflection".^[4] Making of the album begged the question of "what would truly heal" her, ultimately realizing that "love is the antidote".^[5] However, it was not until this record that she would see love "through all the different lenses and angles" and discover its "infinite manifestations", which would turn out to be her meaning of In Search of the Antidote.^[6]

Release and promotion

Fletcher released the song "Eras of Us" on December 8, 2023.^[7] The song was released as a digital single with an accompanying music video, and the singer later revealed she was inspired to make the song after attending Taylor Swift's concert tour The Eras Tour.^[8]

On January 24, 2024, Fletcher announced the title of the album, and it was revealed that "Eras of Us" would be included on the album.^[2] In the album announcement, Fletcher also shared the song "Lead Me On" would be the next pre-release single. The singer released "Lead Me On" and the song's music video on January 25, 2024.

"Doing Better", the album's third pre-release single, was released on March 1, and Rolling Stone described the single as Fletcher "being real with herself" and "taking accountability for her ego."^[9] In June 2024, "Doing Better" was included in Rolling Stone's The Best Songs of 2024 So Far.^[10]

In the weeks leading up to the release of In Search of the Antidote, Fletcher took part in interviews on the Zach Sang Show and with Zane Lowe for Apple Music.^[11] Additionally, she made a television appearance performing "Pretending," the album's fourth single, on The Kelly Clarkson Show.^[12]

In Search of the Antidote debuted at number three in the US Billboard Top Album Sales charts.^[13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	72/100[14]
Review scores
Source	Rating
The Line of Best Fit	8/10[15]
Clash	8/10[16]
All Music	7/10[17]
Dork	[18]

In Search of the Antidote received generally favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received a weighted average score of 72, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[19]

Narzra Ahmed in Clash described the album as "heavily produced, but in the best possible way" and complimented the album's "indie feel".^[20] Eryn Murphy with Euphoria Magazine gave In Search of the Antidote four out of five stars and called the album a "transparent pop journey".^[21] In a five-star review, Neive McCarthy with Dork wrote that "Fletcher delivers her truths and lessons with some of her most electric tracks yet" on In Search of the Antidote.^[22] Conversely, Ben Siegel in Riff Magazine wrote that the album's production only "occasionally succeeds" while praising Fletcher's vocals and lyrics, concluding the album contains "some fantastic moments".^[23]

Track listing

In Search of the Antidote track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Maybe I Am"	Cari Fletcher Gregory Hein Jordan K. Johnson Michael Pollack Oliver Peterhof Stefan Johnson	The Monsters & Strangerz German S. Johnson[v]	2:44
2.	"Doing Better"	Fletcher Jennifer Decilveo Jeremy Dussolliet Timothy Sommers Mary Weitz	One Love[p] Decilveo[c][v]	2:33
3.	"Ego Talking"	Fletcher Decilveo Madison Love Julia Michaels Pete Nappi	Decilveo[p] Nappi[p] Colin Brittain[a]	2:23
4.	"Lead Me On"	Fletcher Hein J. Johnson S. Johnson Nappi Pollack Jason Cornet Jon Bellion	The Monsters & Strangerz Bellion Nappi[p]	2:53
5.	"Two Things Can Be True"	Fletcher Decilveo Michaels	Decilveo[p]	2:45
6.	"Eras of Us"	Fletcher Decilveo Dussolliet Sommers	Decilveo One Love	2:48
7.	"Attached to You"	Fletcher Decilveo Michaels	Decilveo[v]	2:36
8.	"Crush"	Fletcher Decilveo Sommers Weitz	Decilveo[p] One Love[p]	2:24
9.	"Pretending"	Fletcher Bellion Hein Nappi	Bellion Nappi[p]	3:02
10.	"Joyride"	Fletcher Decilveo Dussolliet Sommers	Decilveo[p] One Love[p]	3:04
11.	"Antidote"	Fletcher Bellion Hein Nappi	Bellion Nappi[p]	4:08
Total length:				31:20

Notes

• ^{^[p]} signifies a primary and vocal producer
• ^{^[c]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer
• ^{^[v]} signifies a vocal producer

Personnel

Musicians

• Cari Fletcher – vocals, songwriting
• Jordan K. Johnson – drums, keyboards (tracks 1, 4); programming (4)
• Stefan Johnson – drums, keyboards (tracks 1, 4); programming (4)
• German – drums, keyboards (track 1)
• Pierre-Luc Rioux – guitar (track 1)
• Jennifer Decilveo – bass, keyboards, synthesizer (tracks 2, 3, 5–8, 10); programming (2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10), piano (5, 7), drum programming (6)
• Mike Squillante – bass, guitar (tracks 2, 3, 6, 10); drums (2, 3, 10)
• One Love – programming (tracks 2, 8, 10); bass, drum programming, guitar, keyboards, organ, synthesizer (6)
• Pete Nappi – programming (tracks 3, 4, 9, 11); drums, guitar (4, 9, 11)
• Jon Bellion – background vocals, drums, programming (tracks 4, 9, 11)
• David Levita – guitar (tracks 5, 7)

Technical

• Dale Becker – mastering
• Rob Kinelski – mixing
• Stefan Johnson – engineering (track 1)
• Nick Squillante – engineering (tracks 2–5, 7–11)
• Jennifer Decilveo – engineering (tracks 2, 3, 5–8, 10)
• One Love – engineering (tracks 2, 3, 6, 8, 10)
• Pete Nappi – engineering (tracks 4, 9, 11)
• Katie Harvey – mastering assistance
• Nate Mingo – mastering assistance
• Eli Heisler – mixing assistance
• Naebird – engineering assistance (tracks 6, 8, 10)

Charts

Chart performance for In Search of the Antidote

Chart (2024)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[24]	66
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[25]	74
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[26]	14
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[27]	55
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[28]	34
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[29]	28
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[30]	23
Scottish Albums (OCC)[31]	5
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[32]	85
UK Albums (OCC)[33]	26
US Billboard 200[34]	36

References

1. Aramesh, Waiss (March 16, 2024). "Fletcher Worried She Might Have to Quit Music. Now, She's Healing in More Ways Than One". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
2. Ramos, Dino-Ray (January 24, 2024). "Fletcher Announces New Album In Search of the Antidote, Sets Debut of New Single & Video for "Lead Me On"". Glaad. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
3. Murray, Robin (January 25, 2024). "Fletcher Announces New Album In Search of the Antidote". Clash. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
4. Ordonez, Eli (January 30, 2024). "Fletches shares driving new single "Lead Me On", announces new album". NME. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
5. Ackroyd, Stephen (January 25, 2024). "Fletcher has announced her second album In Search of the Antidote". Dork. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
6. Carter, Daisy (January 25, 2024). "Fletcher announces new album In Search of the Antidote". DIY. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
7. Raza-Sheikh, Zoya (December 8, 2023). "Fletcher returns with brand new single Eras Of Us". GAY TIMES. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
8. Raza-Sheikh, Zoya (December 8, 2023). "Fletcher returns with brand new single Eras Of Us". GAY TIMES. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
9. Mier, Tomás (March 1, 2024). "Fletcher Calls Herself (and Her Ego) Out on Single 'Doing Better'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
10. "The Best Songs of 2024 So Far". Rolling Stone. June 12, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
11. FLETCHER: 'In Search of the Antidote', Songwriting & Saturn Return | Apple Music. Retrieved March 29, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
12. Watch The Kelly Clarkson Show - Official Website Clip: FLETCHER Performs 'Pretending' On The Kelly Clarkson Show - NBC.com. Retrieved July 7, 2024 – via www.nbc.com.
13. Caulfield, Keith (April 3, 2024). "Fletcher's 'In Search of the Antidote' Debuts at No. 3 on Top Album Sales Chart". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
14. "IN SEARCH OF THE ANTIDOTE by Fletcher". Metacritic. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
15. Savage, Emily (March 22, 2024). "FLETCHER embraces the chaos of catharsis on In Search Of The Antidote". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
16. Garner, Narza (March 21, 2024). "Fletcher – In Search Of The Antidote | Reviews". Ahmed. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
17. Donelson, Marcy (March 22, 2024). "Fletcher – In Search Of The Antidote | Reviews". Ahmed. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
18. Young, Martyn (September 15, 2022). "Fletcher – In Search of the Antidote". Dork. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
19. In Search Of The Antidote by FLETCHER, retrieved May 28, 2024
20. Ahmed, Narzra (March 21, 2024). "Fletcher – In Search Of The Antidote". Retrieved March 28, 2024.
21. Murphy, Eryn (March 25, 2024). "FLETCHER - In Search of the Antidote". Retrieved March 28, 2024.
22. McCarthy, Neive (March 20, 2024). "Fletcher – In Search Of The Antidote". Dork. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
23. Siegel, Ben (March 18, 2024). "Album Review: Fletcher almost soars while In Search of the Antidote". Riff Magazine. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
24. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 1 April 2024". The ARIA Report. No. 1778. Australian Recording Industry Association. April 1, 2024. p. 6.
25. "Austriancharts.at – Fletcher %5BUS%5D – In Search of the Antidote" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
26. "Ultratop.be – Fletcher %5BUS%5D – In Search of the Antidote" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
27. "Ultratop.be – Fletcher %5BUS%5D – In Search of the Antidote" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
28. "Dutchcharts.nl – Fletcher %5BUS%5D – In Search of the Antidote" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
29. "Offiziellecharts.de – Fletcher – In Search of the Antidote" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
30. "Charts.nz – Fletcher %5BUS%5D – In Search of the Antidote". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
31. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
32. "Swisscharts.com – Fletcher %5BUS%5D – In Search of the Antidote". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
33. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
34. "Fletcher Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2024.