Not in Chronological Order

Not In Chronological Order is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Julia Michaels, released on April 30, 2021, by Republic Records. The album's subject matter centers on themes of love, self reflection and ideal womanhood.

Not In Chronological Order
Studio album by Julia Michaels
Released	April 30, 2021 (2021-04-30)
Studio	M&S (Sherman Oaks, California) Woodshed Studios and Playpen (Malibu, California) EastWest (Hollywood, California)
Genre	Pop
Length	29:39
Label	Republic
Producer	The Monsters & Strangerz German John Ryan G Koop
Julia Michaels chronology
Inner Monologue Part 2 (2019) Not In Chronological Order (2021)
Singles from Not in Chronological Order
"Lie Like This" Released: October 1, 2020 "All Your Exes" Released: March 26, 2021 "Love Is Weird" Released: April 15, 2021

Upon its release, Not in Chronological Order received generally positive reviews. However, the album became Michael's lowest charting release on the Billboard 200, where it reached number 183; Michaels blamed Republic's lack of promotional support for the album as the cause of its lack of success.^[1]

Background

Michaels released her debut single "Issues" in 2017, followed by three extended plays (EP), Nervous System (2017), Inner Monologue Part 1 and Inner Monologue Part 2 (both 2019).^[2] In 2020, she released the single "Lie Like This",^[3] followed by "All Your Exes" and "Love Is Weird" the following year.^[4][5] On April 9, 2021, Women's Wear Daily announced that Michaels would release her debut studio album on April 30.^[6] She confirmed this on April 14, along with the album's name as Not in Chronological Order and its artwork.^[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	70/100[8]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Clash	8/10[10]
The Forty-Five	[11]
The Guardian	[12]
NME	[13]
Rolling Stone	[14]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 70 out of 100, which indicates "generally favorable reviews" based on 5 reviews.^[8] Clash's Randy Radic thought Not in Chronological Order is soft in certain parts and "thick with sinew" in others, and equally allows Michaels to showcase her songwriting talent and "charismatic, oh-so-expressive voice".^[10] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian considered the album enjoyable and a display of Michaels's talent, but lacking in star quality.^[12] Writing for NME, Hannah Mylrea was favorable of its depiction of romance and Michaels's signature one-liners, adding, it "confidently chronicles every dizzying high and crushing blow that love brings – affairs of the heart have, after all, long been Michaels’ specialist songwriting subject".^[13]

Track listing

Not in Chronological Order track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"All Your Exes"	Julia Michaels JP Saxe Stefan Johnson Jordan K. Johnson Oliver Peterhof	The Monsters & Strangerz German	3:29
2.	"Love Is Weird"	Michaels John Ryan S. Johnson J. Johnson Billy Walsh	The Monsters & Strangerz Ryan	2:30
3.	"Pessimist"	Michaels Ryan S. Johnson J. Johnson Robert Mandell	The Monsters & Strangerz Ryan G Koop	3:18
4.	"Little Did I Know"	Michaels Saxe	The Monsters & Strangerz German	3:16
5.	"Orange Magic"	Michaels Ryan	Ryan	2:54
6.	"Lie Like This"	Michaels S. Johnson J. Johnson Michael Pollack	The Monsters & Strangerz	3:38
7.	"Wrapped Around"	Michaels Ryan S. Johnson J. Johnson Walsh	The Monsters & Strangerz Ryan	2:43
8.	"History"	Michaels Ryan	Ryan	2:20
9.	"Undertone"	Michaels S. Johnson J. Johnson Pollack Matt Zara	The Monsters & Strangerz	3:16
10.	"That's the Kind of Woman"	Michaels S. Johnson J. Johnson Pollack	The Monsters & Strangerz	2:15
Total length:				29:39

Target exclusive bonus track^[15]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
11.	"Lie Like This" (acoustic)	Michaels S. Johnson J. Johnson Pollack	The Monsters & Strangerz	3:36

Personnel

Musicians

• Julia Michaels – vocals (all tracks), background vocals (5, 9, 10)
• JP Saxe – guitar (1)
• German – programming (1)
• The Monsters & Strangerz – programming (1–3, 6, 9, 10), guitar (2), keyboards (2–4, 7, 9, 10)
• John Ryan – background vocals, guitar, keyboards, programming (2, 3, 5, 8); drums, synthesizer programming (5)
• David Campbell – string arranger (2, 4, 7, 10)
• G Koop – guitar (3)
• India Carney – background vocals (4)
• Mario Jose – background vocals (4)
• Michael Pollack – background vocals, keyboards (6)
• Pierre Luc – guitar (6)
• Matt Zara – guitar (9)
• Chris Null – guitar (10)

Technical

• Randy Merrill – mastering engineer
• Serban Ghenea – mixer
• Ben Rice – engineer, vocal producer (1, 4)
• Steve Churchyard – engineer (2, 4, 7, 10)
• John Ryan – engineer, vocal producer (5, 8)
• Jeff Gunnell – engineer (5, 8)
• Stefan Johnson – engineer (6, 7, 9), vocal producer (3)
• Michael Pollack – engineer, vocal producer (10)
• Gian Stone – vocal producer (3, 9)
• The Monsters & Strangerz – vocal producer (6, 7, 9)
• Bo Bodnar – assistant recording engineer (2, 4, 7, 10)

Charts

Chart performance for Not in Chronological Order

Chart (2021)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[16]	91
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[17]	97
Germany Downloads (Official German Charts)[18]	76
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[19]	69
US Billboard 200[20]	183

Release history

Release dates and formats for Not in Chronological Order

Region	Date	Format	Version	Label	Ref.
Various	April 30, 2021	CD digital download streaming	Standard	Republic	[21][22]
United States		CD	Target bonus		[15]
	August 6, 2021	LP	Standard		[23]

References

1. "Julia Michaels lashes out at label for saying her "album is basically obsolete"". Tone Deaf. July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
2. Paul, Larisha (April 16, 2021). "Julia Michaels Announces Debut Album 'Not in Chronological Order,' Releases New Single 'Love Is Weird'". UDiscover Music. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
3. Wass, Mike (September 25, 2020). "Julia Michaels Announces New Single "Lie Like This"". Idolator. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
4. @juliamichaels (March 13, 2021). "all your exes.... March 26th 🪓⚰ pre-save now 👉 http://JuliaMichaels.lnk.to/allyourexes" (Tweet). Retrieved March 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
5. @juliamichaels (April 9, 2021). "Don't know how I wound up here... Love Is Weird 4.15 ❣". Retrieved April 14, 2021 – via Instagram.
6. Tauer, Kristen (April 9, 2021). "Julia Michaels Has Already Arrived". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
7. @juliamichaels (April 14, 2021). "Not In Chronological Order out April 30". Retrieved April 14, 2021 – via Instagram.
8. "Critic reviews for Not in Chronological Order". Metacritic. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
9. "Not in Chronological Order - Julia Michaels | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
10. Radic, Randy (April 29, 2021). "Julia Michaels - Not In Chronological Order". Clash. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
11. French-Morris, Kate (April 28, 2021). "Julia Michaels – 'Not in Chronological Order' review: A showcase of love and pop in all their guises". The Forty-Five. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
12. Petridis, Alexis (April 29, 2021). "Julia Michaels: Not in Chronological Order review – star songwriter in need of star quality". The Guardian. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
13. Mylrea, Hannah (April 29, 2021). "Julia Michaels – 'Not in Chronological Order' review: masterful solo debut by pop hitmaker". NME. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
14. Harris, Keith (May 4, 2021). "Julia Michaels Struggles to Make the Transition From Writer to Artist on 'Not in Chronological Order'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
15. "Julia Michaels - Not In Chronological Order (Target Exclusive, CD)". Target. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
16. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 10 May 2021". The ARIA Report. No. 1627. Australian Recording Industry Association. May 10, 2021. p. 6.
17. "Julia Michaels Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
18. "Offizielle Download Charts album – Musik Charts" (in German). MTV Germany (ViacomCBS Networks International). Archived from the original on May 6, 2021.
19. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
20. "Julia Michaels Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
21. "Not In Chronological Order by Julia Michaels on Apple Music". Apple Music. April 30, 2021. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
22. "Not In Chronological Order Signed CD – Julia Michaels Merch". Julia Michaels Merch. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
23. "Julia Michaels - Not In Chronological Order LP". Urban Outfitters. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.