THE FIRST TIME / The Kid LAROI / November 10, 2023
- Joshua Yoo
- Jan 29, 2024
- 1 min read
Since first bursting onto the scene, nothing has really stopped The Kid LAROI from flourishing commercially, having stake in multiple genre charts with huge hit singles and collaborating with some of the industry’s biggest names. ‘THE FIRST TIME’ arrives as his second effort at a full-length album, and it really showcases the range and variety of his pop, emo and rap influences more than ever before. Unfortunately it seems to come at the cost of consistency, as the 20 featured tracks fluctuate quite significantly in style and quality.
There’s a notable and commendable improvement on Laroi’s singing, where a number of vocal performances across the album convey the moody and emotional weight of his songwriting more effectively than before. “BLEED” may be the best example of this improvement, with a heart-tugging hook that renders the acoustic ballad quite emotional.
The array of production choices don’t often benefit his rapping however. The hyper-energetic trap cuts that feature more focused lyricism are most of the time too linear in Laroi’s delivery. Some of the instrumentals lack nuance and depth, and often box him into a limited flow and cadence (“WHAT WENT WRONG???”). Even with promising song ideas, sometimes the brevity and oversimplification of their execution diminish their impact (“WHERE DO YOU SLEEP?”).
Thus, despite the real highlights across the album, it still seems that Laroi is yet to fully organize and capitalize on his wide array of talents.
Highlight(s): BLEED, WHAT JUST HAPPENED, TOO MUCH, THE LINE, SORRY, WHERE DO YOU SLEEP?
Lowlight(s): WHAT WENT WRONG???, WHAT’S THE MOVE, I THOUGHT THAT I NEEDED YOU, NIGHTS LIKE THIS, WHERE DOES YOUR SPIRIT GO?, DESERVE YOU
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