Last month London wordsmith Loyle Carner returned with his thought-provoking third LP, ‘hugo’. First teased with ‘Hate’ and the Madlib-produced ‘Georgetown’, the record is a poignant meditation on the artist’s complex identity, paired with a markedly heavier sound.
Awarding the album four stars, NME highlighted Carner’s emotive storytelling and its supporting production, stating: “In ‘Homerton’, the Croydon lyricist underlines this vision, rapping “I start to think about the legacy I leave”. One thing’s for sure — after ‘Hugo’, that legacy is richer.” Album highlight ‘Speed Of Plight’ leads this week’s additions to NME Radio, followed by other fresh tracks including the latest release from SIPHO., a new preview of Yazmin Lacey’s upcoming debut album, and more.
Check out the newest additions to NME Radio 1 and 2 below:
On the A List:
Loyle Carner
‘Speed Of Plight’
Loyle Carner races against the cruel hands of time on ‘Speed Of Plight’, from his stellar third album ‘hugo’. On it the Croydon rapper grapples with the unrelenting nature of injustice (“We just lost a lot of figures in the city that we love”), with Jordan Rakei and kwes’ production suppporting Carner’s rhymes, finding melancholy in a warbly guitar loop and subdued beats. – Eli Ordonez
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
SIPHO.
‘ARMS’
Birmingham singer-songwriter and NME 100 alumni SIPHO. grapples with a futile connection in his enigmatic new single, ‘ARMS’. Whether in its opening seconds backed by dramatic piano chords, or in its boisterous, climactic outro, the vocalist commands the listener’s attention with his passionate, raspy delivery. The track’s production eggs SIPHO. on by constantly building in intensity behind him, throwing in a string section, wailing guitars and a choir as it reaches its crashing close. – EO
