“I told her, I am not perfect but baby I’m learning,” LYAM begins earnestly as the hypnotic, relentless beat of ‘NASCAR’ kicks off his second artist album. It’s a notable declaration to make at the top of a record that is titled The Art Of Letting Go, not least because it immediately establishes an acceptance of vulnerability. As the track continues though, with the East London songwriter’s laidback flow and evocative lyricism, it feels like a poignant way to start an album that is essentially about learning from the trials of the past in order to move into a future that contains the real treasure.
The Art Of Letting Go, LYAM’s return after a four-year album hiatus, is twelve tracks that lay out a statement of intent, uniting numerous friends and collaborators, including John Glacier, ineedsound and Mura Masa, for guest appearances and production spots in order to skilfully saturate it with colour and texture. The latter is evident in the various shifts in timbre which are coupled with LYAM’s rapid-fire delivery in tracks like ‘TATTS IN JAPAN’ and in the mellow, circular backdrop of ‘heroes have to win EVERY TIME, villains only’, amplifying the drama of a track that already has plenty of tension and sonic vibrancy. Comeback single ‘HOT 4 THIS’ is similarly striking with its alt-punk undertones and John Glacier’s self-assured verses, the song’s outro boldly proclaiming: “Gonna love myself all over again, you can’t hurt me”.
Elsewhere, there’s depth in the melodic lines and instrumentation thanks in part to the varying styles of production on show, for example in the Gabriel Gifford-produced ‘VS THE WORLD’, which includes a memorable contrast between the call and response of LYAM and Hanabii; and the Superparka-produced ‘METROPOLIS’, a slick and sensual dark dancefloor banger featuring the vocals of Latvian-British musician Eliza Legzdinae. A key highlight of The Art Of Letting Go is the way LYAM is able to bring in voices that perfectly complement his introspective and confessional rapping, without the track itself ever losing the core elements of his presence. We see this on ‘REAPERS’ with New York rapper Wiki and on ‘YAMAHA’, which includes Swedish vocalist and producer Ney Liqa.
LYAM has long been one to watch on the British alternative rap circuit, initially making his mark as part of the idiosyncratic London collective TTY, in which musicians, designers and software developers found a home. Since then, he’s spread his creativity to branding and design, signed to Warp Publishing, produced for the likes of bbymutha, released his solo debut N_O CALLER ID and created his own label W3LY2 (weloveyoutoo). There may be an overarching motif in this new record which concerns letting go and moving on, but through his storytelling and sleek piecing together of genres, LYAM also manages to accentuate what can be pulled from the ashes of something boldly set alight.
