Album Review: Loyle Carner - 'hopefully !'
A British youth icon at his most expressive, genre-fluid hopefully ! sees the jazz poet leaving a love letter to his daughter with his fourth studio record.
Since his welcomed Mercury-nominated debut of Yesterday's Gone in 2017 on grief entanglements, Londoner Loyle Carner has been a pivotal voice to today's lost generation. Driven by the bones-suave of Damselfly - a powerful collaboration with guitarist maestro Tom Misch - the hype for Loyle's lyrical ingenuity and understated beauty in the instrumentals, blossomed seemingly overnight. Not Waving, But Drowning soon followed in 2019, a mighty sophomore which followed similar thematics to his debut. While the smattering of subjects were different, as the record grasped falling in love and flying the nest of his family's Croydon home - his signature remained true. The unflinching honesty about his life.
It can be said that Loyle achieved everything and more with his third record, hugo. A Mercury Prize-shortlisting masterpiece later reimagined in glorious display at London's Royal Albert Hall during the end of 2023, the album had a lasting effect on the world of soul-jazz rap. Again, vulnerability and honesty featured as prominent proveyors under the microscope . Featuring the visceral ear-worm of Hate and the beautiful hauntings of Blood on my Nikes, the record became a pinnacle listen to his now-global audience, as its master storyteller behind the scripture began to see the summit of his prowess. Or so we had thought.
If we're taking the playful scribblings on the album artwork at face value, fatherhood plays a distinct role at the heart of this album. But to suggest that just one thing prompted the creative progression of Loyle Carner’s fourth album would be an oversimplification. Artistic maturity and the collaborative influence of writing and recording with a live band has sown the seeds to an artist ever-eager to jettison out of his comfort zone once again.
Simply put, hopefully ! reaffirms Carner's position as a poet, rapper, singer, writer than we ever thought was possible. Stepping out of the hugo's blood-red exasperation, hopefully ! is almost a complete opposite in its regard. A lush whimsy embrace of real self-belief and aspiration, its a stirring record that isn't trying to be too clever for its own good - but merely an album true to the soul.
Just like every other project he's brought his words to, hopefully ! crafts a real sense of ambiguity and vulnerability in its 11-track discourse.
While the record remains true to a tried and tested formula that made Loyle's name, it embraces a whole new feeling of discomfort for Carner: singing. A pivotal shift reimbursed by the fatigue of finding the right words about his son, Loyle singing particularly on such tracks like the sun-kissed spoon-fed soul of lyin and in my mind brings a whole new loose-limbed feel to its sonic atmosphere almost as if Loyle is improvising on the spot. Scribbled-out jottings, haikus and finalised notes on a page were words work and others do not all behind an uncouth cadence from a live band all happily going with the flow of it all. But then again, his work has always been like that. Natural, spontaneous and equally straight from the heart.
Embracing your imperfections makes you ever-willing to learn and understand yourself. It's fair to say that Loyle went above and beyond to hit these heighs. Hell, even that subtle voice break captured during a seep of emotion on the self-titled track is another bit on what this album is: a thing of beautiful honesty.
“For this album, it was kind of accepting who I am – heart-on-my-sleeve, emotional, too sensitive – and [figuring out] how I learn to love that but also refine it so I keep a little bit of me and my family safe.”
The most prominent on this record has to be his "muse", his son. You can hear him play the first xylophone tinkling on ethereal opener 'feel at home' and then can be heard talking to his dad during the tender tail-end of 'about time.' An apparent reminder that the album is evidently about the relationship with his son - but also a remark that his son is both the start and the coda to his new chapter in life: a giver of light to those dark moments.
Further afield, 'all I need' is a poignant embrace to the hope he's found in his life, as he gently reminds himself again with that repetitive refrain, seared with pride. Charming jazz rhetoric 'Time to go' is another reminder for Loyle to forever live in the present. His classically coded lyricism stands out here: "Does a bird know he's lucky that he flies? Or is he looking down jealous in the skies? If he knew would it part of his demise? It's funny how a few words ruin the surprise."
We're constantly drip-fed these cult-classic constructions throughout on hopefully !. And for one, remains as his most lyrically adept work - all the while affronting the newly found position as a singer.
The man born Ben Coyle-Larner, a true word pioneer in his own right, has amassed enough artistic maturity to know than anything is possible. This stylistic left-turn into abridged calm sees a new side to the visionary artist - but what remains is that mentality of a championed artist releasing another championed record.
Loyle Carner's hopefully ! tour begins in the Autumn with the rest of Europe - before hitting London's Brixton four times in November, all sold out. This is not before Carner ticks off another holy grail by headlining the Other Stage at this year's Glastonbury Festival on the Friday Night.
Words by Alex Curle
