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Okay, that title is probably clickbait. It was the first thing I thought of when I first caught wind of this upcoming songstress on her breakout single ‘Messy’. Her sassy, cursive singing style paired with her sunny, quirky indie pop is an instant comparison in my mind. Not to reduce Lola to mere clonedom though by any means, she is of course on her own trajectory with her own personal expression. It’s exactly this uniquely rough, Winehouse-esque romanticism that makes this new release so interesting to me. This thing’s best moments are genuinely kind of oddball, punctuated with plenty of 90’s-tinged angst. I’m Only F**king Myself sees Young broadening her palette to encompass a wider array of emotional modes. The effect is a record that is well-read, but not drowning in its influences. Big tick.
Lead single ‘One Thing’ is clearly the primmed TikTok sound of the album, though that is not to take away from the quality of this track. Its pillowy leads are complimented by some incredibly funky beats, the cherry on top is Lola’s flirty demeanour. It marks a high-point mentally for Young, and also marks a slow downward spiral into self-esteem issues and heartbreak further into the project. Though not a clearly defined concept or anything, the title of this record is obviously a double entendre. There’s a real lust and vigour to the way Lola approaches her relationships in the first leg, though it all seems to come apart by the time we reach ‘Post Sex Clarity’. There’s desperation now. The imposing question seems to be: what does Lola have once she’s “finished”? If she needs to plead for them to stay, there might be other issues that need addressing.
The last leg of the project is messy (no pun intended). I also don’t necessarily mean this in a derogatory way either. The production reflects a scattered brain. Some of the crisper qualities from earlier on have dissipated. ‘Not Like That Anymore’ is a dusty reality check. The irony being the clear-as-mud mix paired with Lola’s newfound sense of no fucks given. Does it reek of cope? Definitely. It needs to though, because in order for Lola to move on and find happiness, she needs to take the good with the bad. It would be another thing entirely if this was provided without a lick of self-awareness. Lola knows what’s going on in her brain, this is just a natural part of the process. ‘Who F**king Cares?’ is the cherry on the insecurity cake. Again, Lola is obviously miserable at this moment, yet understands the coping mechanisms at play. Is she going about exorcising all of this in the best way? That’s not really for us to answer. She’s laying it all out there whether anyone likes it or not. It’s respectable, even if it does render more like diary ramblings than a fleshed-out song.
Another artist full of potential, who still has the chance to capitalise on it. There’s something really exciting about an artist being on the cusp, great things possibly just around the corner. This kind of vulnerable songwriting is also greatly appreciated in an era of insincerity and post-irony. Lola could very well be a key torch-bearer for this lane of indie songwriting in the 2020’s, she just needs the time to grow into that. Because for all of its jagged edges, there are some serious diamonds within the rough to be mined.
Dan Will Review 