Lola Young released her fourth studio album, “I’m Only F—— Myself” on Friday. The album follows Young’s 2024 release, “This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway,” which included her TikTok viral hit “Messy.” Like many TikTok-nurtured stars, the album shines in audio-worthy choruses but falters when it comes to verses.
When listening to the album, I took a quantitative approach to make up for my lack of technical music knowledge. The score sheet outlines eight categories that make up any great song. Each category is ranked out of ten, subsequently summed and then calculated into a percentage. The score sheet can be found below.
Young’s album opens and ends with spoken monologues titled “how long will it take to walk a mile?” and “ur an absolute c word.” When listening, it seems the interludes’ only real purpose is to contribute to the 46-minute runtime. While interludes can enhance an album’s storyline, these more so read like an edgy Tumblr post.
Following the interludes, Young comes out swinging with “F— EVERYONE,” a mediocre rage anthem that lives up to its name. However, the London-born artist truly shines with the next four tracks, which hold the highest scores on the ranking sheet.
“One Thing” is the album’s lead single and hooks listeners with an addictive chorus that can be attributed to Young’s raspy vocals and a faraway beat. Although the single’s intro might throw listeners off with its graphic lyrics and spoken singing, the remainder of the song is undoubtedly worth it.
In “d£aler,” Young ruminates on the pains of an addiction and the drastic measures she feels she must take to detach from her enabler. Young sings, “I wanna get away, far from here,” followed by, “Pack my bags and tell my dealer I’ll miss him.” The optimistic tune paired with the wrenching lyrics reflects the sweet release that awaits her when she eventually overcomes her addiction.
The next two tracks,“SPIDERS” and “Penny Out of Nothing,” are the crown jewels of this album. “SPIDERS” begins with restrained vocals that bleed into a belt, which feels like the roller coaster of a relationship Young is describing. Like the vocals, a soft electric guitar and drums are swept into a beautiful hurricane when the chorus hits.
“Penny Out of Nothing” is the last good song on the album before it descends into a somewhat disappointing blur. Young’s melody is goosebump material and is built to deliver “the feels” to listeners. Unexpectedly, the lyrics are not what make this song so emotionally potent; it’s the way Young’s vocals serve as the perfect vessel for the melody.
Young failed to bring the same artistry and, possibly, effort to the remainder of the album. In these tracks, a pattern of soft verses and screaming choruses is followed and reapplied, leaving no room for anything groundbreaking. This formula works for Young when she brings an addictive melody and stunning vocals, but fails her when she doesn’t.
“Walk All Over You” was made for a teenager to lip sync aggressively on TikTok. The song is simply not enjoyable or interesting. The track includes the weak hook “‘Cause do me wrong, i’ll put ‘em on and i’ll walk all over you” paired with, possibly, the weakest vocals on the album.
In “Not Like That Anymore,” she uses intentionally clumsy vocal inflections that feel more awkward than a Tim Robinson sketch. At the end of the album, the vocals in “who f——- cares?” fail to do justice to the song’s sincerely somber lyrics.
Young’s vocals on the album’s forgettable tracks are especially disappointing because Young has a once-in-a-generation voice. In fact, her singing style, when used to its best abilities, is her biggest draw for many listeners. “Messy” went viral on TikTok because it had a delivery many hadn’t heard before.
So, while Young’s talent is on full display in a handful of tracks on “I’m Only F——- Myself,” the album itself is as good as you’d expect from an artist whose big break was a trending TikTok audio. Perhaps this album was put together quickly in order to capitalize off of fading virality.
However, if the level of effort in “Penny Out of Nothing” or “SPIDERS” was put into every track, I have no doubt that this would be a great album.
