My Top Spotify Wrapped song is “Romantic Homicide” by d4vd. So yes, my favorite songs tend to be the slower, sadder, and more emotional songs.
Naturally, I’m biased toward those types of songs, which made up about half of the Kid LAROI’s new album, THE FIRST TIME. The other tracks were upbeat, tapping into the pop and rap genres. So, I’ve split this review into sections based on the style of the song.
Emotional
“BLEED” has guitar punctuated by drums in an emotional rhythm that smoothly captures the heart-wrenching, longing feeling as he sings, “How did your heart mend so easy? / Mine still bleeds.” This one deserves to be played on repeat all day, every day.
“I THOUGHT THAT I NEEDED YOU” has an awkward blending of sad vocals in fast-changing melodies with quick percussive sounds that don’t quite fit the same tone, but it sounds much better when the drums break to a lone guitar. However, this imperfection does add to the song’s theme of something in a relationship not fitting right. And, while I still feel like it sounds off, I keep finding myself listening to it with the pre-chorus being surprisingly catchy.
“TEAR ME APART” is emotional and demanding with minimalistic instrumentations as a single guitar part and short piano chords back the vocals. The song ends with a piercing note that emphasizes the singer’s desperation, and my only criticism is that the not-even-two-minute-long track ended too soon.
“CALL ME INSTEAD” featuring Youngboy Never Broke Again and Robert Glasper opens with piano that sticks through the whole song and a few other instruments added towards the end, making this one very gentle in comparison to the other tracks.
“THE LINE” featuring d4vd is beautiful with just a guitar and the two singers. It’s calm and sad as they sing, “Don’t say sorry, don’t apologize / ‘Cause you crossed the line this time.” As an avid fan of d4vd, this song definitely did not disappoint.
“WHERE DOES YOUR SPIRIT GO?” surprised me. It has long vocal notes very different from The Kid LAROI’s typical faster wording. He reveals the bare emotion of the song as he stretches out and belts each note of the chorus. The emptiness of the track’s instrumentation reflects the feelings of the singer missing someone as he sings, “Numb today, but tomorrow I’ll feel it.” This song is absolutely beautiful and is my favorite track on the album.
Ethereal
“SORRY” has solid music production with a combination of styles blending into one seamless song with an otherworldly instrumental ending. The backing music and vocals keep this song interesting with subtle transitions. I love this one.
“WHERE DO YOU SLEEP?” has a catchy beat with a simple synth riff that sets a calming mood. Then, halfway through the song, the backing music adds layers and switches styles. This is the perfect song for people who like to hear various different tones in the span of one song.
“NIGHTS LIKE THIS” sets a vibe with the music that truly sounds like the ethereality of nighttime. It’s perfect for a playlist for driving around at night and definitely a must-listen for all.
“DESERVE YOU” has orchestral sounds and echoey noises that land this track a spot in the ethereal, but it doesn’t quite reach the expectations set by “NIGHTS LIKE THIS,” which is my favorite in this category.
Upbeat Pop
“TOO MUCH,” made with Jung Kook and Central Cee, is a standard pop song with simple chords and claps on the downbeat. There isn’t anything special about this song that would make me listen to it again.
“WHAT’S THE MOVE?” featuring Future and BabyDrill has a faster rhythm, and I found this one to be better than “TOO MUCH,” but it similarly lacks any catchy or interesting elements.
“WHAT WENT WRONG?” is a good song for those who like faster-paced songs with busy instrumentation. However, I found that the chorus music had far too many sounds layered with the vocals to fit my taste.
“WHAT JUST HAPPENED” transitions smoothly from the melancholic mood to a more upbeat rhythm that isn’t too busy or too empty either. The chorus is catchy and references “THE LINE,” which comes just before it: “I don’t know if we just crossed a line.” Personally, I love it when artists reference their other songs and tie their tracks in an album together. Overall, “WHAT JUST HAPPENED” is my favorite upbeat song from this album.
“YOU” has fun piano chords in the background with humming. Even though the lyrics describe a not-so-pleasant situation of two people not working out, the song is still overall feel-good without being as highly upbeat as the previous track.
“LOVE AGAIN” is one that has hit the radio, and while it is catchy, it doesn’t have the emotional rawness of the lyrics reflected in the vocals as some of LAROI’s other songs like “WITHOUT ME” do. While this song is solid, I didn’t find it as entertaining as the other tracks on the album, though that could be due to the fact I have heard it much more often.
“KIDS ARE GROWING UP” is slower and calmer as LAROI details a story throughout the song.
Voice Memos
“STRANGERS (Interlude)” and “STRANGERS PT 2 (Interlude)” are both recordings of people talking backed by music. The sentimental messages paint completely different stories: one from strangers to lovers and the other from lovers to strangers.
“YOU NEVER FORGET THE FIRST TIME…” has various people talking about their own first-time experiences for various situations, punctuated by a single note that transforms into more layers of melodies as the stories become more uplifting. The stories are touching and show what The Kid LAROI had intended for this album. If you’re going to listen to any track on this album, let it be this one.
All in all, while I didn’t like most of the upbeat pop songs on the album, which is probably because I prefer more emotional songs in general, this album exceeded my expectations with the variety of styles and messages interspersed throughout. Now, while I listen to “WHERE DOES YOUR SPIRIT GO?” on repeat, I look forward to hearing The Kid LAROI’s next release.
