ALBUM REVIEWS
LeoStayTrill knows that many artists who blow up on social media can’t translate that success into building cohesive, well-thought-out projects. Over the past year, the Bromley rapper has become an online sensation thanks to huge singles like the pop-sampling ‘Crazy Love’ and ‘2s n 3s’, gaining two MOBO nominations, making it onto the NME 100 and connecting with UK rap stars like Dave and Tion Wayne. However, he recently told ITV’s The Rundown he’s focused on getting “away from that TikTok artist bubble”.
His debut EP ‘Home Alone’ reflects that shift, as the precocious 18-year-old – who first gained public attention years ago on TV show The Voice Kids and KSI‘s ‘Popping’ challenge – refines his subtly funky blend of African-inspired rhythms and UK drill. The project’s title reflects how LeoStayTrill (real name Tinotenda Leon Gandanzara) has been living a solitary, studio-centred life lately, but producer Xeretto also deserves credit for the sonic world crafted on ‘Home Alone’.
The pair have been working together for years, finetuning a gripping and minimalistic style of production that perfectly complements Gandanzara’s staccato flows and knack for delivering potent lines with a low-toned intimacy that makes you feel like he’s right beside you. This approach strengthens a series of sharp, cleverly-delivered bars on this EP, like “I’ve been a G like the DJ at Kings Cross” and “How you gonna talk about you’re really at the top when it’s actually, naturally, factually me? / They cat to be we, ya see?” (‘Naturally Me’).
Over eight short, snappy tracks, the rising rapper utilises drill and Afrobeats-influenced instrumentals that emit a real moodiness while remaining hyper-rhythmic and bouncy, as on ‘Ya Get Dat’ and ‘Hands On Knees’ (ft. K-Trap). This blueprint saw last year’s freestyle ‘Pink Lemonade’ turn into a viral hit, and Gandanzara is at his best when taking this sound and shifting it around into adjacent avenues.
Including ‘2s n 3s’ on the EP is understandable given its success, but this track, with its poppy overtones and extended Jess Glynne hook, seems to depart from a more focused sound and thus feels somewhat out of place. Nonetheless, the song marries dance-centric rhythms with witty rhymes, underlining the teenager’s consistent delivery in both departments. ‘Home Alone’ shows that LeoStayTrill can take that platform and level up from it, and with his love of project-building firmly stated, it’s fair to expect more sonic and lyric innovation from this exciting young UK rapper.
ALBUM REVIEWS
Grandeur sits at the heart of ‘This Music May Contain Hope’, RAYE’s second album, and the result feels nothing short of breathtaking. On this record, the singer born Rachel Keen explores a wide spectrum of sounds across its 73 minute length, moving from emotional ballads to lively funk moments and the jazz pop style she has become closely associated with. It can feel overwhelming at first, yet the magic that comes from RAYE fully committing to her vision makes the experience rewarding from start to finish.
‘This Music May Contain Hope’, a conceptual project about pushing through insecurity and heartbreak, unfolds like a lavish stage production. RAYE takes on the dual role of main character and guiding voice throughout the story. “Allow me to set the scene. Our story begins at 2:27am on a rainy night in Paris. Cue the thunder,” she says during the opening track ‘Girl Under The Grey Cloud’, which arrives with sweeping orchestral strings. Spoken passages appear across the album, helping shape the narrative and giving the project a sense of direction, almost like hearing the official recording of a Broadway show.
With this framework in place, the South London artist allows herself to fully explore the album’s diverse musical palette, and most of the time it works in her favor. Sometimes she fully embraces the theatrical side of the concept, especially during the closing section of the smooth R&B track ‘The WhatsApp Shakespeare’. Other moments are delivered more straightforwardly, such as the emotional slow building ballad ‘I Know You’re Hurting’. She also revisits her earlier dance influences with the impressive house track ‘Life Boat’.
Across the entire album, two things stand out clearly. RAYE’s flexible vocals sound better than ever, and her songwriting feels sharper than it has before. Take the playful highlight ‘I Hate The Way I Look Today’, a swing jazz inspired track reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald, where she admits “I’m okay to be lonely / If I’m lonely and skinny / I have such silly self-loathing thoughts, it seems”. Then there is the emotional storytelling in ‘Nightingale Lane’: “It was right there, early June / Next to Old Park Avenue / Standing in the rain, I watched him walk away”.
Despite all the vulnerability and emotional struggles explored throughout the record, RAYE ultimately reaches a place of optimism, staying true to the album’s title. She gathers her close friends on ‘Click Clack Symphony’ with support from Hans Zimmer, finds closure with guidance from Al Green on the smooth seventies soul inspired ‘Goodbye Henry’, and reaches toward something greater alongside her sisters Amma and Absolutely on the uplifting ‘Joy’ as she searches to be “free of all the pain and every fear”. After the stormy opening imagery of that “rainy night” and “thunder”, RAYE eventually realizes that “the sun exists behind the clouds”, as she shares on ‘Happier Times Ahead’.
‘This Music May Contain Hope’ shows RAYE performing at her absolute peak. The album feels huge in scale and emotionally powerful, yet it remains rooted in honest experiences and real feelings. Yes, it asks a lot from the listener, but that is also what makes it so special. Every dramatic moment and musical shift feels like RAYE claiming her independence and finally creating music entirely on her own terms.
