Loyle's first two albums solidified him as the go-to 'chill guy' of current UK hip hop. The loose, jazzy samples and low-key, laidback delivery made them perfect records to thrown on late at night to unwind to. However, by the end of 2019's Not Waving, But Drowning the vibe had felt like it had run it's course and it was time for Loyle to try something a bit different. Which, thankfully, on Hugo he does. The tempo has picked up, alongside the intensity of the instrumentals and Loyle's delivery; with an increased focus on wider socio-political issues where those themes were used as more set dressing for Loyle's introspection before. It's not a drastic switch into hardcore hip hop or anything, but you can certainly see the influence of Kendrick and Kanye's more dramatic presentation with soul and gospel samples - or even Little Simz's Sometimes I Might Be Introvert from last year which has blown her up into one of the biggest UK rappers currently.
Hate kicks off the record with an eerie synth sample and a crashing hi-hat rhythm, to which Loyle drills into the things he 'hates', which is more a drilling into his own insecurities and thought patterns than just a rant. The lyricism and wordplay on the track is some of his best so far, and while it doesn't fully pop off on first listen, it really is a grower. This leads straight into Nobody Knows (Ladas Road), a groovier cut with its jazzy piano and gospel backing vocals, but equally powerful as Loyle digs deep into his mixed race heritage and absent father. This is a topic he has dabbled in before, but never in such an upfront and honest way. The rest of the first half follows in the path the first two tracks set out. Georgetown is built around a wonky bass sample and whining synths and Loyle loosely raps over it. It's the closest Hugo comes to the outright bops from the first two records and has a certain coolness to it. Speed Of Plight has a darker instrumental and Loyle's delivery matches the town with a more direct and less swaggering tone.
From Homerton onwards, the album slows down and becomes more familiar to Loyles previous work. Homerton is still very lush and full with a swooning trumpet and soulful backing vocals from Olivia Dean and JNR WILLIAMS, but after this the moodiness creeps up massively. The following track, Blood On My Nikes, is probably the darkest (and also my favourite of the album). It has a tense and sinister beat, and Loyle delves into his experience of gang violence and the desensitisation of violence through videogames. Plastic is incredibly jazzy and smooth, I really like the instrumental on the track. However, the lyrical hook on the track is that Loyle is calling out disingenuous people (and also himself) by referring to them and their possessions / attributes as plastic, and I really feel it runs dry and becomes a little gimmicky by the end of the song. The last three songs really slow the album down and really revert back to the sentimentality of the older records. However, as they only appear at the end they don't have time to outstay their welcome; and do work as a way to wind the album down at it's finish. My favourite of the three is definitely A lasting Place. Similarly, Loyle's love for spoken word and audio bite interludes is still present on Hugo; however I feel they are much more relevant and less intrusive than they were on Not Waving, But Drowning.
On the whole, Hugo is Loyle's tightest and most consistent release so far; and it really feels like he has grown in confidence to make some more outward political statements in his music, rather than just looking inward. However, due to the more serious tone of the album, it lacks any of the fun, laidback bops that are the main draw for me when I come back to revisit his records. While I don't think they would have worked as well in this context, it does hold this album back from being vastly better than his last two. It's still really solid though, and it's nice to see Loyle branch into new musical avenues.
Top Tracks: Hate, Nobody Knows (Ladas Road), Georgetown, Homerton, Blood On My Nikes, A lasting Place
7/10
