We have been mentioning it all year long. We have been waiting for it for a long time. And now, it’s here. THE FIRST TIME, The Kid LAROI’s newest album, is out for everyone to enjoy, and our first reaction was to embrace it with open arms and get lost in LAROI’s lyrics and storytelling. This album is one of our favorites ever, and waiting for it, even though it was a long wait, was so worth it. LAROI has improved so much as an artist and as a person, and he truly laid out his growth in this album. THE FIRST TIME is about change, moving on (from everything and everyone), sadness, anger, and much more. It will take you through a complete journey. A complete layout of what life means.
There are so many things we want to talk about this record. We’ve decided to hold each other’s hands while going through this new album and mention our favorite bits from THE FIRST TIME‘s storyline. LAROI deserves every bit of praise for releasing his best album yet, and we want to give a spotlight to every single track. If you’re listening to LAROI for the first time (the album title just fits right in) while reading this article, we hope you adore his vulnerability and honesty, just like we do. Let’s get into it!
Note: THE FIRST TIME interludes, ‘STRANGERS (Interlude),’ ‘STRANGERS PT 2 (Interlude),’ and ‘YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST TIME…’ include personal stories by LAROI’s closest people. They’re stories of first meetings, first heartbreaks, first times. Although we are only going deeper into LAROI’s full songs from this album, we recommend you listen to them while you go through THE FIRST TIME. They add depth and meaning to the record!
‘SORRY’
If you start your album with lyrics like “I’m tryin’ not to go insane but I got all this weight on me and I just wanna run away,” you have released your best intro yet. LAROI told us that ‘SORRY’ fits better into THE FIRST TIME than ‘I Can’t Go Back To The Way It Was (Intro),’ and he couldn’t have been more right about that. His verses in this song summarize how he has been trying to manage the pressures of fame and fortune while handling what every 20-year-old teenager would have to handle on a daily basis. The change in rhythm during the last minute slides so well into the intended message of this track, going from listing his anxieties to checking out the number of times he has been on the Billboard charts. Every high and every low in LAROI’s musical career and personal life brings us to this song.
LAROI’s attitude towards himself and how he deals with fame has evolved as his exponential success grew. Life is still hard, no matter how famous he is and how much money he has, and navigating through those fears is not easy. Just like he said in his interview with Zane Lowe, he doesn’t regret becoming famous at such a young age, but he has definitely felt more connected to his emotions towards his celebrity status and the hardships that come with it.
The more you keep growing and changing and moving, you have different problems and different things start coming. I mean, when I thought simple things that I was able to solve, simple problems that when I was younger I was able to solve with success, those are solved, but then a whole new batch of problems come that, maybe it’s because I’m growing older and I think when you do grow older, you feel problems a lot more, right?”
The Kid LAROI with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1
‘BLEED’
We were able to enjoy this hit before the album was released, and it has become one of our favorite LAROI songs ever. ‘BLEED‘ introduces us to the heartbreaking-related themes of THE FIRST TIME, specifically on not moving on from that relationship that changed you. You keep replaying those incredible moments in your head, and you’re still in love with that person. We’re always seated to enjoy a sad song by LAROI. His pen through these tracks is so phenomenal. He’s the only one that can make us resonate with verses like “now it’s weeks since we spoke, had your mom drop my clothes, and she tried to console me that love comes and goes, and there’s nothing you owe me, but you let me, you let me down.” LAROI says this is his most favorite song he has ever created. The more we listen to it, the more we’re grateful for having his lyricism in our lives.
‘I THOUGHT THAT I NEEDED YOU’
After that painful break-up comes feeling like a complete fool. That realization comes when waking up alone. You think to yourself, “We were breaking apart; how did I eat up those lies and handle that fake love for so long?” ‘I THOUGHT THAT I NEEDED YOU’ lets out LAROI’s feelings of holding on to a love that was long lost. If you’re looking for a song from this album to sing along to the top of your lungs, this is the one, especially if you’re going through these exact feelings. LAROI’s songwriting is a staple from this track, with references to F*CK LOVE and verses like “you promised I wouldn’t feel this way again, now I’m over here, I’m over here and all I feel is hate” and “I regret I ever thought you were the best thing to happen in my life, guess in a way, this sh*t’s a blessing.” You combine that with BNYX’s production, and you have an incredible piece from this record!
‘WHERE DO YOU SLEEP?’
This song is one of our favorites from this album, and it’s pretty much up there in our LAROI discography ranking. ‘WHERE DO YOU SLEEP?’ will take you on a trip of incredible verses and instrumentals that break the track into three parts. The first part of the song retells the challenges that came up in LAROI’s latest relationship; he backtracks a little during the second part, saying he doesn’t call himself perfect in any way, and the third part (and most banging part of the song) gives a hint of how, even after everything happened, starting over doesn’t seem so weird after all.
After you listen to this song, you will feel like you have gone through a whole experience just with this track alone, and it just adds more reasons why LAROI is one of the best storytellers of our current music scene. As we have seen with these songs, retrospective is a big theme in THE FIRST TIME and in LAROI’s life.
Losing whatever it may be, whether it’s… People, relationships… Your thoughts are constantly changing and growing and you’re gaining new perspectives and you’re looking back on old versions of yourself and being like, “Yo, what the h*ll? That’s crazy. I can’t believe that was me.”
The Kid LAROI with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1
‘TOO MUCH’
You already know that we could praise this collaboration all day long, but we will add its placement on THE FIRST TIME tracklist to the things we love the most about it. It makes so much sense to place this song right here. The lyrics fit right in with the theming of the previous tracks. Would you repeat a relationship to feel something again, or is it too much to handle? You still miss that special person, but you only want to return with them if they’re ready. We will always be thankful for LAROI’s amazing collaborations, but the ones from this album just go beyond anything he has ever released. We have been listening to it on repeat, and we’re still living on a high knowing that our favorite artists have worked with each other!
‘TEAR ME APART’
LAROI has acknowledged his flaws many times in previous releases, but ‘TEAR ME APART’ might be the most vulnerable way of showing his regrets about his actions. This song is the most acoustic track of the album. We get to follow LAROI’s voice through a single guitar that will definitely make you tear up. The song contains so much emotion, and we can’t wait to see how LAROI embodies it on stage. The lyrics also have so many references, from within itself (“I’ll go now so we’ll be fine in the next life and beyond” versus “’cause I don’t know if I can wait for the next life“) and from ‘WHERE DOES YOUR SPIRIT GO?’ with “left my body, took my soul, but when it’s gone where does it go?.” A 10/10 representation of how LAROI can adapt his sensitivity to every genre!
‘NIGHTS LIKE THIS’
One of LAROI’s signature components that he includes in every complete project is a crazy transition that will make you levitate, and he has done this with ‘NIGHTS LIKE THIS.’ The song begins with the same instrumental notes from the first interlude of THE FIRST TIME, so you must listen to these two tracks back to back to put yourself in that astral, musical plane. We were so excited to see where LAROI would add a transition like this in the album, and we got instant chills! As far as the storytelling in this song goes, LAROI reminisces about his past love and how he needs to enjoy those unforgettable moments again to distract his mind from his nights alone. It’s a shorter track that serves an amazing purpose in THE FIRST TIME’s storyline.
‘WHAT’S THE MOVE?’ (Feat. Future and BabyDrill)
The flow of this song will instantly make you feel at the top of the world! ‘WHAT’S THE MOVE?’ was the last single that LAROI gifted us before releasing the entire album, and it’s just so good. When you’re in love, you want to give absolutely everything to the person who has your heart, so LAROI, Future, and BabyDrill dedicated this song to the amount of things they’ve gifted their significant others. This track might be the most addicting from THE FIRST TIME! We have already caught ourselves listening to it on repeat for hours. Once you press play on it, you can’t stop! Every verse fits perfectly onto each other, and we’re so glad LAROI added these two great rappers to this song. Nobody else could have gone along this incredible beat!
‘CALL ME INSTEAD’ (Feat. Youngboy Never Broke Again & Robert Glasper)
Like with ‘NIGHTS LIKE THIS,’ ‘CALL ME INSTEAD’ is introduced to us after the second interlude. This time, LAROI has passed the mic to his dear friend Justin Bieber to tell the story of when he met Hailey for the first time, and we get to start this track with the same instrumental tone. LAROI sings along to a piano, this time to talk about how exterior influences can change the course of a relationship. With verses like “the past yours, but the future is ours,” he makes it clear how he would drop everything to go back to devote his entire life to a lover who made an impact on him. Also, if you’re good at remembering references, you will notice that the voice line from THE FIRST TIME trailer is included at the end!
The piano in this track is from the one and only Robert Glasper, a legend in all his glory. His addition to THE FIRST TIME might come as a total surprise to so many, but LAROI has been eyeing him for a bit now, as he wanted to perform with him at Coachella. Seeing two generations of musicians coming together and creating an incredible song is such an honor to listen to!
I had someone reach out to him because I obviously didn’t know him. And he said yeah. And he came and he was like, “Man, the reason I’m doing this is, yeah, you’re great, but my kids, they really f**k with you.” I was like, “That’s so cool.” I’m really proud of how my voice sounds on this song. Shout out everybody who worked on that track.”
The Kid LAROI with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1
‘DESERVE YOU’
LAROI combined all of his best assets in this track, and we believe it’s for the ones who love it when he adds his rapper and popstar styles. We get an upbeat part, and we also get a slower bit. ‘DESERVE YOU’ is divided perfectly to get LAROI’s best musical worlds and graced with perfect instrumentals. We’re obsessed with it! The second breakdown includes some of the verses that hit us the most from this album, like “it’s not the way you feel it hurts, it’s that you couldn’t be real with me” and “I hope that he loves you, the way that I want to, the way that I could have, all that I didn’t.” The song goes from the initial thoughts of overthinking to cutting a relationship entirely and the back and forth of thinking about who deserves whom.
‘WHAT WENT WRONG???’
Even though the previous song combined LAROI’s styles, this song is for the rapper LAROI enthusiasts. So many fans were asking for the return of his great raps, and he knew he was about to drop an album full of gems, including ‘WHAT WENT WRONG???’ If there’s something LAROI is going to do, it is release a banger that shows his unique rapping abilities! His verses in this song are so smooth, and you will instantly become addicted to them. ‘WHAT WENT WRONG???’ is one of the best rap tracks he has ever released, and the BNYX production that comes along with him just tops it all off. By releasing “you said you loved on the kid, that was serious, don’t say sorry, I’m really not hearin’ it, off some sh*t and it’s got me delirious, I f*cked up too, that’s point blank, period,” how can you not call LAROI a legend by now?
I think I’m in a place where I’m making so much stuff that I do think is really good with a lot of thought and meaning, more thought (and) meaning than it ever has been before. More vulnerable, I think, than it’s ever been.”
The Kid LAROI with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1
‘WHAT JUST HAPPENED’
We were so excited to learn how LAROI would incorporate ‘WHAT JUST HAPPENED‘ into the greater message of this album, and we instantly got chills when going through the record in order. Do you expect us not to be speechless after he starts with, “I don’t know if we just crossed the line?” We love how the singles from this album hold meaning by themselves, but they also intertwine with the other tracks perfectly! THE FIRST TIME universe is our favorite thing ever.
Fans everywhere are still on cloud nine with the fact that he finally released this song, and we will always be grateful for it. In this track, LAROI talks about how lies cover up some relationship arguments and problems. Good communication between people who want different things out of romance is tough to achieve, especially if you must retrace your steps after a long night.
‘YOU’
Listening to this track was a massive surprise for us. It was like we unlocked a new style that LAROI has never done before, and we honestly can’t compare this song to anything else he has ever released. Rhythm-wise, ‘YOU’ fits very well with the acoustic tracks from this album. The instrumentals and the lyrics are like two peas in a pod! The verses try to apologize for LAROI’s past actions by checking out his past relationship from the other POV and mentioning how he could still go back around that special person even after leaving many times. It’s a pretty refreshing change of pace for THE FIRST TIME!
‘LOVE AGAIN’
Oh, this absolute classic. It got us through the LAROI drought earlier this year, and we know all the verses by now. ‘LOVE AGAIN‘ is just such an essential song in his discography! It’s perfect for people who are trying to get to know his songwriting. We always recommend this song to people unfamiliar with him, and it makes so much sense that it made it on THE FIRST TIME. The song asks if love will ever be achieved after a broken heart. We regret the relationship even happened in the first place, but then, we’re begging to rewind and feel those feelings again.
‘WHERE DOES YOUR SPIRIT GO?’
LAROI has dealt with so much grief in his life, and although this song was released back in April, it still gives us goosebumps. ‘WHERE DOES YOUR SPIRIT GO?’ is the most sentimental song from the album, and it poses the questions of: Why did you leave me when I needed you the most? When will I be able to talk to you again? LAROI dedicates this song to his mentor, Juice WRLD, a legend that still holds a significant place in his and his fanbase’s hearts. He wishes he could meet Juice now and tell him that he understands the things he used to go through when LAROI was a kid. His songs about missing the people he has lost over the years are so touching and relatable if you’ve gone through this sadness.
Sometimes it’d be like, “What’s going on with bro? Why is he feeling like this? Why is certain things happening?” You don’t understand that. And it was funny, when I started going through all this sh*t, I had had a day where I just broke down. And it gets me emotional even just thinking about it. I was like, “Holy sh*t, dude. I f*ing get it now.”
The Kid LAROI with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1
‘KIDS ARE GROWING UP’
An album about constant change needed a song to wrap everything up, and the complete version of ‘KIDS ARE GROWING UP’ did exactly that. LAROI goes through some of his childhood stories with this song, including numerous mentions of his mother and how her resilience has made him who he is today. He also apologizes to her for being dedicated to his craft and sometimes forgets to text her back. It’s such a perfect outro to talk about some of the themes that were mentioned across THE FIRST TIME, including coming to peace with his past and his present. Although LAROI has become more famous over the years, he will never forget where he came from and how his family has been a vital part of his journey as a human being.
This incredible masterpiece deserves to be performed from beginning to end, and that’s exactly what LAROI will do next year! He’s starting his live rollout in the best way possible: his first-ever Australian stadium tour! LAROI is extremely excited to perform back in his home country with some special guests and a show that everybody will remember forever. Tickets are available now using the code “TFTTOUR,” and the general sale will occur on November 20th. Be sure to sign up for any updates and learn more about the VIP packages here!
If you’re a US or European Kid LAROI fan, don’t worry! He has anticipated that he will release live dates for you very soon!
What do you think of THE FIRST TIME? Are you loving it as much as we are? Let us know in the comments below, or tell us over on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! And to talk more about our favorite artists, join our Discord!
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