Fatal Optimist

Fatal Optimist is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Madi Diaz. The album was released on October 10, 2025, by Anti-.

Fatal Optimist
Studio album by Madi Diaz
Released	October 10, 2025 (2025-10-10)
Length	39:17
Label	Anti-
Producer	Madi Diaz Gabe Wax
Madi Diaz chronology
Weird Faith (2024) Fatal Optimist (2025)
Singles from Fatal Optimist
"Feel Something" Released: July 21, 2025[1] "Ambivalence" Released: August 18, 2025[2] "Heavy Metal" Released: September 15, 2025[3] "Why'd You Have to Bring Me Flowers" Released: October 6, 2025[4]

Background and production

In 2021, Diaz released History of a Feeling, her fifth studio album, about her breakup with the American singer-songwriter Teddy Geiger.^[5] In 2023, Diaz toured with Harry Styles and began working on her next album, Weird Faith (2024), which dealt with placing trust in herself, the growth of her career, and her relationships with her new manager, new label, and new romantic partner.^[6]

During her tour with Styles, Diaz separated from her partner and began to suffer from constant hip pain. She then began working on Fatal Optimist in 2023 during a songwriting retrat on Nantucket.^[5][7] She recorded at a studio in New Jersey and produced the album with Gabe Wax at Infinite Family Studio in Southern California.^[8]

Release and promotion

Diaz announced Fatal Optimist and released its lead single "Feel Something" on July 21, 2025.^[1] She also released "Ambivalence",^[2] "Heavy Metal",^[3] and "Why'd You Have to Bring Me Flowers"^[4] as singles. The album was released on October 10, 2025.^[9] Diaz supported the album with a tour.^[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Rolling Stone	[10]
Spill Magazine	[11]
Uncut	9/10[12]

Maura Johnston awarded the album 3.5 out of 5 stars for Rolling Stone and praised Diaz's vocals, lyrics, and the album's arrangement.^[10] Sophie Montague also rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stars in Spill Magazine, writing that the album had a "charming simplicity" and showed Diaz's "strength in sadness".^[11] For Uncut, Nigel Williamson rated the album 9 out of 10. Williamson wrote that Diaz's lyrics "reveal[ed] fresh and unexpected insights" about breakups and called the album "raw but gorgeously melodic".^[12]

Track listing

Fatal Optimist track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Hope Less"	Madi Diaz Savana Santos Konrad Snyder	3:25
2.	"Ambivalence"	Diaz Morgan Nagler	4:32
3.	"Feel Something"	Diaz Todd Clark Donovan Woods	3:20
4.	"Good Liar"	Diaz Tenille Townes Stephen Wrabel	3:44
5.	"Lone Wolf"	Diaz Stephen Wilson Jr.	3:10
6.	"Heavy Metal"	Diaz Steph Jones	3:55
7.	"If Time Does What It's Supposed To"	Diaz Aaron Ratiere	3:09
8.	"Flirting"	Diaz Santos	3:18
9.	"Why'd You Have to Bring Me Flowers"	Diaz	4:04
10.	"Time Difference"	Diaz Jamie Floyd	3:30
11.	"Fatal Optimist"	Diaz Santos Snyder	3:05
Total length:			39:17

Personnel

• Madi Diaz – producer, vocals, guitar (all except track 8), piano (track 8)
• Gabe Wax – producer, mixing, baritone guitar (track 1), shaker (track 5)
• Jake Weinberg – producer (tracks 1 and 3), bass (tracks 2, 5, and 6), percussion (track 3), piano (tracks 8 and 11), synthesizer (track 11)
• Ruiari O'Flaherty – mastering
• Waylon Rector – guitar (tracks 2, 5, and 6)
• Dylan Day – guitar (tracks 3, 7, and 9)
• Hudson Pollack – guitar (tracks 4 and 11)
• Savana Santos – background vocals (track 11)
• Sam KS – drum kit (track 11)