Description

In hugo, therersquos a central question that Loyle Carner keeps coming back to ldquoIrsquom young, Black, successful and have a platform but where do I go nextrdquo The answer is explored in this epic scream of a third album. With urgent delivery and gloriously widescreen production, Carner confronts both the deeply personal ldquoYou canrsquot hate the roots of a tree, and not hate the tree. So how can I hate my father without hating me and the highly political ldquoI told the black man he didnrsquot understand I reached the white man he wouldnrsquot take my handrdquo. Cinematic in scale and scope, hugo is both a rallying war cry for a generation forged in fire and a study of the personal internal conflict that drives the rest of the album as a mixedrace Black man, as an artist, as a father and as a son. With Mercury and Brits nominations, NME Awards and appearances in global brand campaigns Nike, YSL, Timberland, Carner has undoubtedly had a meteoric rise to the top, culminating with his second album Not Waving, But Drowning charting at number 3 in the UK albums chart in 2019. However, hugo sees Carner taking a sharp detour from his previous work, putting it down to lockdown and the ldquohedonistic side of career being stripped away. There were no shows, no backstage, no festivals, no photoshootsrdquo. By continuing to write in these tumultuous times with a renewed clarity and sense of artistic freedom, Carner reached deeper beneath the surface than he ever had before. The result is his most cathartic and ambitious record yet, a coruscating journey into the heart of what it means to be alive in these tumultuous times, and one which looks set to neatly cement his position as one of the most potent and vital young talents around today. Working alongside renowned producer kwes. Solange, Kelela, Nao, Carner leaves no stone unturned on this album, in both its sound and its stories. In a 10track album that moves from gorgeous neosoul moments to thundering hip hop, with immediate, infectious bangers and sampled interludes from non musicians mixedrace Guyanese poet John Agard and youth activist and politician Athian Akec Carner shifts seamlessly from micro to macro, confronting everything from strained relationships with family to the societal tears caused by class stratification. It also lays bare bruises in his personal life that he has never revealed before ndash often in painful, deeply uncomfortable ways, focusing on Carners experience of becoming a father in the context of growing up without contact with his biological father. With the song ldquoPolyfillardquo, against the backdrop of a warm melodic beat, Carner explores his desire to ldquobreak the chains in the cyclerdquo of dysfunctional Black fatherhood, commenting on the narrative of fatherhood in the genre, and saying a key part of the process was realising that his father ldquogrew up in a world where nobody showed him how to love or nurturerdquo. The follow up track ldquoA Lasting Placerdquo is an exploration of the MCrsquos failure and inability to be perfect in this mission. The album closer is a powerful statement of love and forgiveness with his signature lyrical dexterity, Carner declares his relentless commitment to his son and sees forgiving his father as a key part of this. The song closes with an emotional ending of Carner telling his dad ldquostill Irsquom lucky yo that we talkrdquo. Therersquos a striking duality of hugorsquos bold, multilayered tracks and its often starkly intimate and tender lyricism, and that dichotomy is deliberate it is a message for young Black men, but really, anyone, who is listening. Cognizant of the immense pain and fear and confusion that we are faced with everyday, Carner has thrown down the gauntlet, defying us not to rise above the fray, wake up each day and be ambitious. Ambitious in building strong personal relationships. Ambitious in our pursuit of our goals. Ambitious in never refusing to back down against injustice. Rejecting the title of leader, Loyle Carner sees himself ldquoas holding up a mirrorrdquo, and that clearly translates into the albums universal messages.nbsp Loyle Carner CD is available for home delivery from Vinyl Records London, only £12