Relaxed, candid and warm, Yesterday’s Gone is a self-possessed and frank debut from 22-year-old rapper Loyle Carner. Inspired by the honesty of the grime he grew up rapping in Croydon playgrounds, Carner sets straight-talking emotion against understated, jazzy beats (à la mid-90s J Dilla), punctuated with snatches of phone conversations with friends and family. The effect is intimate, with introspective lyrics which don’t shy from vulnerability, whether expressing anxieties about growing up without a father figure or praising his beloved mum who keeps him grounded. Tight production from long-time friend Rebel Kleff complements the sensitive lyricism, and Carner’s unassuming rap delivery keeps the sound casual and deceptively effortless.

Opener ‘The Isle of Arran’ attracted deserved buzz as a single release in 2016, championed by the likes of Annie Mac. It fades in with a gospel sample, ‘The Lord Will Make A Way’, used before by rap giant Dr Dre, but Carner makes it his own with a distinctive low-key swagger which stands in stark contrast to stereotypical hip-hop braggadocio. The Isle of Arran is where Loyle Carner’s grandfather lived, and the song offers a tribute to the man he cited as one of his few male role models. The raw openness of Carner’s poetry will be familiar to fans of the A Little Late EP which features the heartbreakingly forthright ‘BFG’, written after the death of his stepfather. A similar frankness can be found in Yesterday’s Gone, such as on the beautifully simple ‘Mrs C’.

“The effect is intimate, with introspective lyrics which don’t shy from vulnerability”

The album is centred in domestic life, from ‘Swear’, a vignette recording of Carner teasing his mum about her bad language, to ‘Sun of Jean’, a number grounded by a warm bassline which practically reverberates with love, ending with a verse by his mum about her “scribble of a boy” who “was and is a complete joy”. The ‘Florence’ single release was already popular with Carner fans, and the album version showcases the tender poetry of Carner imagining making pancakes for the little sister he never had, against a sparse beat and a wistful chorus by Kwes.

Elsewhere, the songs muse on love and girls but the tone remains introspective, as in the rainy day melancholy of ‘Mean it in the Morning’, ‘Seamstress’, or ‘+44’, a stream of consciousness about late night texting and regret. ‘Damselfly’ balances youthful angst with nostalgia over a languid guitar, as Carner laments that “I was too young for you”, and a snippet of conversation records the excitement of getting a hoped-for text, only to be deflated by finding it’s just from a mate: “Ah, for fuck’s sake!”

Review: Run the Jewels – RTJ3

If there is any fault with Yesterday’s Gone, it is that many of its strongest numbers are re-releases of songs that fans are already familiar with: the defiant standout ‘Ain’t Nothin Changed’ was apparently penned when someone at a house party asked Carner “Why every fuckin’ song the fuckin’ same”. ‘Stars and Shards’ showcases Loyle Carner’s rapid-fire storytelling abilities atop a bluesy guitar riff and a beat which is relatively pace-y for this album, in a tale of drug dealing and unfulfilled dreams. Both of these songs have been released before, and some new tracks like ‘No Worries’, while solid, don’t grab the ear as instantly. Moreover, the heavier beats and crunching guitar of ‘NO CD’ worked well as a single and makes for a crowd-pleasing live performance, but the song seems a little at odds with the album’s jazzier, more introspective tracks.

Nevertheless, Yesterday’s Gone is clever, profound hip-hop. It is sensitive and nostalgic at times, but never saccharine. Loyle Carner’s emotional honesty is at its heart, while an ear for intimate domestic detail brings his lyrics to life