Loyle Carner – ‘Hopefully!’ review: a masterful balance of melancholy and perseverance

Jun 20, 2025 - 09:02

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loyle carner hopefully! review

Since making his debut in 2014, it’s been clear that Loyle Carner’s music has been somewhat of a diary for the British-Guyanese rapper. 2017’s breakthrough ‘Yesterday’s Gone’ tackled the emptiness that comes with grief, 2019’s ‘Not Waving, But Drowning’ explored pressures of being in the public eye, and the critically acclaimed ‘Hugo’ in 2022 pondered identity and heritage.

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Fair to say, light-hearted themes have never been the lyrical maverick’s main focus, but the heavier ones have established him as one of the most rousing rap artists in recent memory. If past releases were a way of articulating life’s hardships, fourth album ‘Hopefully!’ finds Carner coming to terms with them. While still grounded in introspection, the 11 tracks capture a more optimistic outlook than usual and see the songwriter start to embrace other genres.

Uplifting indie inflections are introduced in tracks like ‘In My Mind’ and ‘All I Need’, with Carner writing and recording alongside a live band for the first time. Similarly, songs like ‘Strangers’ see him turn his focus to singing instead of rapping – letting the feeling created speak louder than a myriad of words. It’s a departure from his comfort zone, but leaning into this makes lyrics like “How much pressure on a man before he breaks / my heart aches, trying to find a way to ease the pain” hit on a deeper level.

While there is an obvious rose-tinted outlook in album four, that isn’t to suggest that the South London artist has blindly opted to move on from previous burdens. Genuine concerns around fatherhood are explored on ‘About Time’ (“My son needs a father, not a rapper / can I give him what he’s after?”), and the title track features a posthumous appearance from mentor Benjamin Zephaniah, exploring unexpected loss.

It’s become Loyle Carner’s signature to let emotive topics rise to the surface. This time though, instead of falling into melancholy, they are greeted with understanding and patience. ‘Hopefully!’ may not be a black-and-white ‘feel-good’ record, but in embracing these nuances side by side, Carner delivers his most mature output yet.

His lyrics and instrumentals may be more intricate than before, but they come together more coherently than ever. This isn’t just Loyle Carner at his most refined, it is the start of a new chapter. As for what may come next, the answer is probably best explained in the lyrics to ‘Time To Go’: “Who am I supposed to be today? I don’t know / All I can do is take it slow.”