Hip hop and rap artist Loyle Carner is back with another album full of confessional, eloquent tunes for his recently released new album, hopefully! A landmark record from an artist many people probably thought they knew the depths of already, Carner just proved his relatability and talent in a new fashion.
At it’s heart, hopefully! is a life-affirming exploration of experiences that many listeners will have been through in their times. In a series of firsts – singing, producing, accidentally forming the band of his dreams – Carner cultivates boundaries, oversteps some, and reflects on the journey out of adolescence. The most notable example of this, without even diving into the lyrical content, is the album’s cover, covered in his son’s playful scribblings.
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The album opens with ‘Feel at Home’, full of percussion and emotional lyrics. Carner’s music is often tinged with a hint of sweetness, and it seems this album will be no different in that regard – which is one of the best things about it. Even in its opening verse with the lyrics ‘I put your painting on my wall / the backs of napkins’ and the later ‘what language do they speak inside your dreams’, the sentimentality is palpable from the get-go. Up next is ‘in my mind’ and ‘all i need’ which were previously released as a double drop. ‘all I need’ evokes a deep sense of searching against its vivid production, while ‘in my mind’ almost feels like a direct continuation, although with a more melancholic tone present. ‘in my mind’ was also a step outside of Carner’s comfort zone – we hear the artist singing, rather than just rapping on this album. In the hazy, sun-warmed zephyr of driving guitars and languid percussion, Carner’s long-hidden singing is a thing of scuffed, understated beauty. Despite how early it appears in the album, its appearance emphasises that this body of work is fluid and genre-defying.
But it’s perhaps the next track which is the album’s highlight, titled ‘lyin’.’ It’s powerful in its rawness and honesty, with the title coming from the first verse, which addresses fearing the unknown. Carner wrote the track before his daughter was born, in a period when he was unsure if she would be okay, but also the experience of already having his son showed how parenthood was overall more chill than he thought it would be. Due to this poignancy, it’s without a doubt one of his best songs to date. The audience is transported to Carner’s world and state of mind as he prepares to be responsible for another new life.
‘Time to Go’ is equally impressive, as Carner discusses the evolution of self and that he doesn’t yet know who he is becoming. It’s moments like these that show hopefully! is undoubtedly a mature album compared to his previous works, and with its airy melodies and lush live-band feel, it indeed provides a sense of hope.
Throughout the album, it’s clear that Carner’s main muse is his children – and ‘horcrux’ is no exception to that particular ideal. Drawing on the story of Harry Potter, Voldemort and the world that so many have grown to know over the years, it’s an ode to how Carner feels he has given the best parts of himself to the next generation of his family. Against almost spooky instrumentals including fast-paced drums, the song once again cements the album’s themes effortlessly. It’s another example of how Carner can draw powerfully complex pictures with his lyrics.
‘Strangers’ shows Loyle as someone with no restraint, something which is present across the album’s entirety. Pouring his heart into his creative process, it’s clear that this is someone open to showing the world his most intimate thoughts. The song comes across like a conversation with a friend – one that leaves a mark on you long after its conclusion.
The album’s first direct feature appears in the title track, in the form of the late Benjamin Zephaniah. A mentor to Carner, the poet’s addition completes an outspoken melody that echoes starkly in the uncertain environment many feel we are a part of currently. With Zephaniah’s feature including speaking on the Brixton riots and a chorus that poses the question of humanity’s kindness, it’s a track that feels particularly relevant in this current era. It’s a reminder that hope is often born out of necessity – and Carner’s part in the track emphasises that he knows the power of counterweights that can still inspire hope despite darkness.
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Navy Blue features on the next track, ‘purpose,’ an affirmative track which speaks about keeping the two artists motivated during life’s tribulations. On an album where Carner often appears to be wrestling with the weight of his own anxiety, hopefully! and especially ‘purpose’ exists in the moments that make difficult times worthwhile. On ‘don’t fix it’, the final track before the closing, Nick Hakim’s ethereal presence results in an echoing stillness, with Carner’s verses resulting in a reverberating undertone.
The album’s final song (complete with a visualiser), ‘About Time’, is nothing less than a perfect ending to an album which has primarily centered on family and fatherhood. It’s vivid in personal detail, with the closing verse a conversation about home between father and son. Loyle’s emotional maturity has grown leaps and bounds since the release of his third album, hugo, and a decade into his music career, hopefully! is without a doubt his finest work yet.
