The south Londoner's first full-length release is the most distinctive and daring realisation of her experimental tendencies yet Lola Young ’s fierce, funny and assertive songs run on outsized emotions, the 23-year-old singer emboldened and finally embracing everything she has to offer. ‘This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway’, Young’s first full-length album, moves with an auteur-like touch to its production; opulent soul set pieces stand tall next to raw, scratchy indie tunes, all of which see the south Londoner face desire in its many complications. It’s a collection that feels equally empowered and tormented.
Or, as one Instagram commenter put it, this is music that could make a listener “want to pick up a refrigerator and throw it”. There’s truth to that statement, however hyperbolic it may sound. By contending lyrically with self-esteem and intrusive thoughts, Young has found a devoted fanbase online who praise her for the way she takes lovers and more, erm, casual partners to task.
She first broke through as the vocalist behind the 2021 John Lewis Christmas advert ; even if three years is a near-eternity in pop, it certainly would have been difficult to foresee her one day dropping the c-bomb as well as singing nakedly about a schizoaffective disorder diagnosis . None of the material from previous mixtapes nor last year’s ‘My Mind Wanders And Sometimes Leaves Completely’ project appears here. The latter’s ‘Don’t Hate Me’ was a streaming smash,.