With a title inspired by one of his grandfather’s poems, he has etched his name further into the fabric of music, creating a wholesome space of honesty that has the ability to inspire positivity while tackling heavy themes of pain and frustration.
Not Waving, But Drowning has an emotional intelligence that shows just how strong Carner is when he’s at his most vulnerable.
All the supporting work is understated and studious, ideally compatible with Carner's substantive ruminations.
He’s managed to successfully replicate the feeling of genuine emotion and human connection that drew listeners to him and his music on his first album, with his second likely to be just as prosperous.
Carner holds on to the human warmth that made 2017’s Yesterday’s Gone so special and channels his growing confidence as a storyteller in this stream of disarmingly honest songs.
Not Waving But Drowning showcases why Carner is heralded as one of British hip-hop’s biggest talents, but this isn’t quite the revelation his debut was.
A collection of smooth, soft-centred rap that verges on the sickly, with Carner’s genial charisma floating adrift in a sea of sentimentality and nostalgia.
It doesn’t quite match the intensity and impact of his debut.
For his second album, the 24-year-old’s flow remains defiantly old-school, concerned with language and jazzy storytelling rather than the Autotuned postures that get the streams.
Even though I keep listening to records and records everyday, I was in a weird spot where everything I heard felt not sizing perfectly with my actual personal state of mind. Loyle Carner made me feel somewhat pure, a feeling I was catching for so long. And I can't thank him enough for that.
FAVORITE TRACK: Loose Ends
Loyle Carner’s meditation on identity compacted into a soothing 48 minutes creates an album that, above many others, has really stuck with me since that very first listen
I find it quite funny this is lower rated than Yesterday's Gone for a lot of people, despite the tracklist rating being consistently higher across the board here, Yesterday's Gone has some magical songs in it but as does this, far more often, this project offers a far smoother ride of Carner's defined sound, everything across it is extremely wonderful work and awesome to chill out to. Maybe it doesn't go as strong on the deep messages with only a couple of tracks doing so but there is no ... read more
Loyle Carner’s meditation on identity compacted into a soothing 48 minutes creates an album that, above many others, has really stuck with me since that very first listen
1 | Dear Jean 1:43 | 79 |
2 | Angel 4:43 with Tom Misch | 87 |
3 | Ice Water 3:29 | 85 |
4 | Ottolenghi 3:17 with Jordan Rakei | 96 |
5 | You Don't Know 4:10 with Rebel Kleff, Kiko Bun | 80 |
6 | Still 3:33 | 81 |
7 | It’s Coming Home? 0:36 | 60 |
8 | Desoleil (Brilliant Corners) 3:40 with Sampha | 91 |
9 | Loose Ends 4:16 feat. Jorja Smith | 93 |
10 | Not Waving, But Drowning 1:04 | 86 |
11 | Krispy 3:41 | 83 |
12 | Sail Away Freestyle 4:16 | 80 |
13 | Looking Back 2:58 | 82 |
14 | Carluccio 3:11 | 91 |
15 | Dear Ben 3:30 with Jean Coyle-Larner | 76 |
#22 | / | Les Inrocks |
#37 | / | Piccadilly Records |
#44 | / | The Line of Best Fit |
#47 | / | Q Magazine |