After revealing he scrapped an entire album, The Kid LAROI’s replacement album ‘BEFORE I FORGET’ follows after his high-profile breakup. It’s much more melancholic than the singles he’d been releasing in the lead-up, such as ‘HOW DOES IT FEEL?’ And ‘SHE DON’T NEED TO KNOW’. Centring around feelings that are still raw, he puts his pride aside and lays it all bare.
The Kid LAROI’s sophomore album is rooted in nostalgic 2000s R&B, but laced with shimmery synths and glossy textures. As it takes us on an emotional journey, its sound evolves with it. Beginning with ‘ME + YOU’, the fracture and breakdown of a relationship are instantly revealed. He spends the track yearning for how things used to be, expressing his confusion about what occurred. The chorus repeats “me and you” switching to “you and I”, emphasising their companionship and how he never saw a life with anyone but her. It sets the tone for the rest of the album, focusing on how and why things went wrong, without going into too much detail.
In ‘JULY’, he reminisces about the last time they held one another, with his signature late-night, soft pop feel. It’s an inward-looking moment of betrayal and lies. In a fleeting moment during the outro, The Kid LAROI addresses how he’d kept quiet about this public relationship, despite what the media had been saying, and also his ex-partner. ‘PRIVATE’ goes on to explain exactly why this might be. It brings to light all of the pressure and invasiveness of having two of the biggest gen-z pop-stars date one another. The hushed line “So can we talk about it? / Don’t wanna talk too loudly”, acknowledges how quickly information is made available to the public, but also potentially references the back-and-forth communication through songs. Despite its lyrics, its bouncy production and infectious melodies brighten up the track.
‘RATHER BE (feat. Lithe)’ is the aching feeling of wanting to be with an ex-partner, no matter what other distraction is going on - it's not them. He pleads with them, “I’m beggin’ you, baby, to text me”, longing for any communication. ‘A PERFECT WORLD’ reflects on this idea on a more 80s-inspired synth production, which is a huge difference compared to LAROI’s typical strong R&B. It’s much slower, glowing with delicate, chime-like sounds.
For ‘5:21AM (feat. Andrew Aged)’, we’re met with an entirely stripped-back song, warm acoustic guitar, and the raw voice of LAROI, opening up about his struggles within the relationship. Followed by the lead single of the album, ‘A COLD PLAY’, it switches into a trap drum beat. The emotional exhaustion as we move through the album is captured perfectly in this track's chorus, as he repeats “Fix you, fix you, fix you”.
Acceptance starts to come to life during ‘NEVER CAME BACK’, he’s beginning to find his peace with the end of the relationship. Still maintaining a slower pace, with an acoustic guitar driving the song, the emotional weight of learning to move on is heavy. Similarly with ‘MAYBE I’M WRONG’, the anger starts to disappear, and true feelings are laid on top of a delicate piano.
As the album comes to a close, there are still conflicting emotions. ‘THANK GOD’ and ‘I’M SO IN LOVE WITH YOU’ capture LAROI’s love and how well he treated his partner. He gave his absolute all in the relationship, and the same effort seems to have gone into the album. His creativity has gone to new levels, with stripped back tracks that intensity his vulnerable lyrics whilst also highlighting the strength and range much more than his usual rap style.
Overall, 'BEFORE I FORGET’ feels like a necessary body of work. The Kid LAROI lets his emotions lead, capturing healing in real time. It proves his growth as a songwriter but also an artist, the ability to sit with feelings so uncomfortable and turn them into something powerful.
Emma Turner
Image: ‘BEFORE I FORGET’ Official Album Cover
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