Lola Young - I’m Only F**king Myself

While embodying UK-breakthrough powerhouse Lola Young’s often self-critical rebelliousness, ‘Messy’ - her brilliantly unavoidable social media smash - still sits as something of an outlier in her work to date. The clearly relatable tale of fragile self-empowerment is also one of her most straightforward to date, its charm arguably found in the clever balance between radio-friendly and raw lyricism, a leap from her debut’s modernised soul and jazz – so much so that many erroneously declared 2024’s charting ‘This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway’ her debut, despite the musical brilliance of 2023’s actual debut, ‘My Mind Wonders…’.

Far from a reinvention though, Lola’s sound has never stuck anywhere near the formulaic. Her debut album’s opener and notably a pre-release single, ‘Stream Of Consciousness’ fittingly threw structure right out the window. That her third full-length opens then with the guitar-led ode to pre-rehab hedonism ‘FUCK EVERYONE’ proves a further statement of intent, in-keeping with ‘Messy’’s middle-finger to the socially acceptable and a riotous introduction to her most vibrant sound yet. For every ‘One Thing’ - the still-excellent multi-million streamed lead single - there’s a ‘SPIDERS’, one of the year’s most affecting rock ballads with driving distortion gliding into Lola’s obvious pain. In it, she deals with the notion of womanhood, identity and relationships; another staple that has emerged from one of the UK’s most exciting songwriters, presenting emotion and vulnerability with a raw swagger that have underpinned the careers of Amy Winehouse and Adele. In style, of course, she welcomely sits separate.

‘I’m Only Fucking Myself’ is an exploration of anger, written in the wake of huge success and addiction. Much here deals with external relationships and a recognition of personal worth, such as the gliding sunshine pop of ‘Walk All Over You’, paired with more personal introspection, including the momentary return to soul on ‘why do I feel better when I hurt you?’ or the emotional downfall on the acoustic ‘who fucking cares?’. Combined it paints a picture of a leading songwriter with even more to come, one that can piece together exceptional art from personal turbulence and insecurity, effortlessly reaffirming her position at the top of UK pop… if we can even call it that.