After gathering the hearts and ears of audiences over the last few years — then going on hiatus — The Kid LAROI is musically and emotionally branching farther than he’s ever gone.
His long-teased single, “Love Again” (Jan. 27), is a testament to his riveting vocals and ear-worming talent. The Aussie singer’s infectious hook has been long heard via TikTok teasers and studio snippets. Now, complemented by a mannequin-clad music video, LAROI is learning to “Love Again” ahead of his debut album, The First Time.
Standing as further proof that LAROI’s cinematic approach feels more representative of a popstar that is 10 years his senior, “Love Again” is a perfect lead-in for his emotive debut. His previous track, “I Can’t Go Back To The Way It Was (Intro),” is paired with an equally evocative, bare-bones visual, where distorted hues entrap the “WITHOUT YOU” artist in the melancholy that he’s shedding.
It’s rare for an artist to make an intro track represent their album as a leading single, but it’s clear as to why LAROI made this decision, as an EP’s worth of vigor and sadness packs the song’s tight-knit 90-second runtime.
I hope the past the hardest that it gets
Momma said she drinkin’ to forget
I told my momma, “Save your son a sip”
Tryna slow my breath and get a grip
I think life is harder than in death
They’re in Heaven, I’m the one that’s left (They left)
The Kid LAROI – “I Can’t Go Back To The Way It Was (Intro)”
On top of the lyrical content, these thematic tracks set the stage for the kind of journey that the Juice WRLD and Miley Cyrus collaborator will be taking fans on.
Soaring over 36 million monthly listeners on Spotify, LAROI isn’t building an audience anymore, he’s making the music that he wants to make — and at just 19 years old, he’s just getting started.
Listen to “Love Again” and “Intro” below!
