Brand new sophomore effort albeit major label debut from New York rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Laila!. The daughter of Yasiin Bey formerly known as Mos Def, I myself was introduced to her artistry when she had one of the best features on the single “Problem!” off of Cash Cobain’s 6th mixtape Play Cash Cobain. Her full-length studio debut Gap Year! following the debut extended play In CTRL! impressively distinguished herself from her father, signing to Warner Records for We’ll Never Be This Young Again.
The self-produced “Apartment 419” begins with this drumless orchestral loop singing about being too young to be this upset & feelin’ like she’s losin’ time whereas “Bitch I Love You” goes for an alternative R&B vibe instrumentally explaining that they can’t make her hate the person she’s addressing. “So Much, So Much” brings a bit of a psychedelic flare to the table singing about feeling fresh as fuck leading into “Around the World” explaining the reason this guy won’t ever know another lover is because of her traveling the globe with him.
Teezo Touchdown makes the only guest appearance during “Angel” to sing about their search for a messenger of God’s who they consider extraordinary just before the psychedelic alternative R&B/neo-soul single “Ms. Mango”concludes the 1st act of We’ll Never Be This Young Again telling a tale of lost love & revenge. Kicking off the 2nd half, we have Laila! questioning how one can be the “Greatest Teacher” when they can’t even take care of themselves while the electronic-tinged “Anything Could Happen” sings about what can occur in a changing world.
“Woo! Woo!” smoothly gets the album’s final act going singing about what her romantic interest says whenever she puts that lil’ thing on while “JELL-O” harmonizes over a piano instrumental for 94 seconds comparing herself to gelatin whenever she & her partner lock eyes. “Better Days” blends a guitar & some synthesizers so she can ask herself the possibly of loving this individual when she feels so sad while the title track lets her soulmate know they make everything seem like summer to her.
Presenting her unfiltered self throughout a bulk of Gap Year! detailing the chaos of adolescence & her transition into adulthood, We’ll Never Be This Young Again pretty much spends most of the time extended the latter showing the world how much she’s grown up & recapping everything that’s been going on in her life since her previous full-length came out 25 months earlier due to her having to find what she wants to say confident. Her expands the alternative R&B sound her previous LP predominantly embraced & provides her own take what growing up’s all about.
Score: 4/5
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