Although I am a big fan of many of his peers and feel like I am well-versed in the style of music he makes, Destroy Lonely is an artist I have never listened to much of. I definitely do not have anything against him and have enjoyed what I have heard from him in the past, but for the most part, his music has mostly slipped through the cracks for me. I know I am in the minority and wrong regarding this, though, due to the public perception of his sound and style. Destroy Lonely has earned a reputation for pushing the boundaries of Emo Trap music. His eccentric and bold approach has set him apart from his peers and has helped him carve a pretty individual lane. Destroy Lonely has been popping off for a while, but he has really started to gain momentum over the last couple of years. His 2022 mixtape No Stylist(which spawned the hit single of the same name) really put him on the map as one to watch. Destroy Lonely dropped his debut album If Looks Could Kill, in May of 2023. This album was praised by some for its outside-the-box nature, and it ended up charting in the top 20 of the Billboard 200. Destroy Lonely has now returned with a new project, LOVE LASTS FOREVER. Below, I wanted to talk about some of my favorite songs from Destroy Lonely’s LOVE LASTS FOREVER, and then give some thoughts on how I feel about the project as a whole at the end. It is Destroy Lonely’s opportunity to capitalize on his momentum and show that he is ready to make an even bigger impact in Hip Hop.  Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from LOVE LASTS FOREVER, and also comment on how you feel about the record as a whole!

FOREVER

LOVE LASTS FOREVER begins in a manner that I would never expect. When I first listened to ‘FOREVER,’ I actually looked back at my Spotify a couple of times to make sure the right album was playing because I was so thrown off. The first half(or so of this track)is a very interesting mix of Electropop hit Love Lasts Forever’ by All Saints. This super warm and bright melody and vocal sample give ‘FOREVER’ such a warm and fuzzy feeling that I enjoy a lot. When the Trap beat kicks in, a deep bass guitar comes in, giving the melody even more depth. I really enjoy Destroy Lonely’s vocals on this one. The way his gruff tone contrasts the bright feel of the melody creates some very cool textures for ‘FOREVER.’ This track showed me a completely different side to Destroy Lonely than I would have ever thought I would see here, and it made me temper my assumptions a bit for sure. 

LUV 4 YA

‘LUV 4 YA’ has the kind of sound that I thought I was going to when going into this record. Everything about this track is menacing, huge, and in your face. The melody for LUV FOR YA’ is so foreboding; it literally sounds like something that would play before or during a big chase scene during a horror movie. I especially love the fat, heavily distorted synths that provided the basis for this melody, as they make the song so dark. The beat for ‘LUV 4 YA’ is just as intense as the melody. Its intricacy matches the convoluted feeling of this song so nicely.  Desroy Lonely does not do anything riveting on this one vocally necessarily, but his raspy tone does work well with the heaviness of the instrumental. ‘LUV 4 YA’ is a larger-than-life banger that will get any function or weight room turnt when it comes on. 

SAY THAT

‘SAY THAT’ is the shortest song on the record, but it also may be one of the most interesting and impactful. The melody for this track is so futuristic and dystopian. Although the synths that drive this melody are mostly pretty bright and shimmery, they have a very threatening tone that gives this one a super anxious feeling. As cool as the melody is for ‘SAY THAT,’ the beat is what makes this one extra captivating. The drums on ‘SAY THAT’ are extremely intense, distorted, and complex. This track has so much power it is almost hard to think when it comes on; it sure will infuse anyone who hears it with energy, though. Like the last one, Destroy Lonely does not do anything vocally on ‘SAY THAT’ necessarily to take it over the top, but his tone and vocal style match up with the instrumental nicely. ‘SAY THAT’ may be brief when compared to the other songs on this album, but it sure packs a hell of a punch. 

CADILLAC

After how dark and mean many of the last few tracks before ‘CADILLAC’ are, this one provides a pretty nice change of pace. ‘CADILLAC’ has a pretty light and sweet melody when compared to a lot of the other music on this record. There is something inviting about this melody that really draws me in as a listener. ‘CADILLAC’ has the kind of melody that makes me feel like I am floating through space, which I am really into, as one could probably imagine. The beat for ‘CADILLAC’ is not the most punchy or intricate, but that is okay. Its simplicity leans into the floaty feeling of the song. ‘CADILLAC’ has some of my favorite vocals from Destroy Loney on the record. His tone on this one is frayed and dynamic, really adding to the already ethereal feeling of this track. ‘CADILLAC’ is a nice buffer from the intensity of this record, providing a softer moment that it benefits from.

LOCK IN

Whereas ‘CADILLAC’ may be the lightest or softest song on the record, ‘LOCK IN’ maybe the most menacing, which is obviously saying a ton. This instrumental is honestly tough to describe because it is so complex and unique. There is just so much going on in this one. ‘LOCK IN’ has got to have the most complex and tangled melody on the project. It has so many synths with so many levels of distortion, as well as chime, horn, and bell sounds. At some points in the track, the melody gets so distorted it makes me think of the sounds that come out of spaceships in alien movies. Destroy Lonely gives one of his most full vocal performances of the project in this one. I like how the huskiness in his voice meshes with this melody, as it gives the song such a foreboding element that is super interesting. ‘LOCK IN’ is not the most welcoming song you will hear, but it will certainly get the blood pumping when it comes on. 

DOUBT IT

DOUBT IT’ might be one of the more basic-sounding songs on the record. When compared to almost every other song, it feels kind of cookie-cutter or safe. It is one of the most high-quality songs, regardless. Even though this instrumental is not the most distorted, intricate, or fresh, it is still so enjoyable. The melody and beat for ‘DOUBT IT’ have a very old-school Trap feeling to them. When I hear this instrumental, it brings me back to some of the early music from artists like Gucci Mane and 2 Chainz. Destroy Lonely kills it vocally on ‘DOUBT IT.’ I love the raspy yet squeaky tone on this one, as it gives the track a super interesting texture that makes it super entertaining. ‘DOUBT IT’ is an instance where Destroy Lonely tones down the eccentricity a bit and shows he can excel at some more tame music(for him).

THRILL FEAT. KEN CARSON

As one would probably see coming, one of the biggest and boldest songs of the record is the one that features Ken Carson. Like ‘LUV 4 YA,’ everything about ‘THRILL’ is intense and massive. The melody has a slightly brighter tone than a lot of the other songs on the record that match this intensity. I would not say this melody is sweet or inviting in any way, but it does feel a bit lighter and more positive than a lot of the other melodies on this project. The beat for ‘THRILL’ absolutely rattles. The bass of this one is so buzzy and absolutely pounds, and the drum pattern is so twisted in general. Both artists do their thing on this track, but Ken Carson does stand out. The grating nature in his tone works so well with this instrumental and takes the bold feeling of the track over the top. ‘THRILL’ closed out this project with a bang in a way that only these two artists can make happen. 

Before I get into my overall thoughts on the album, I wanted to shout out the three bonus tracks from this record, ‘ABOUT MONEY,’ ‘NO WORRIES,’ and ‘PASS ME THE KEYS.’ Frankly, I think all three of these tracks should have been regular inclusions in the record, as they would probably be three of the best tracks. All three of these tracks have such vibrant and intriguing sounds that differ from a lot of what we got on the main record. All three of these tracks have a Pop sensibility to them that makes them stand out on this record and would probably make them more palatable to a wider range of Hip Hop listeners. To me, it is strange that none of these tracks were included in the main record because they are probably more appealing to the casual Hip Hop fan than a lot of the main tracks for LOVE LASTS FOREVER. Regardless, I am happy ‘ABOUT MONEY,’ ‘NO WORRIES,’ and ‘PASS ME THE KEYS’ were included here, as they are three tracks tracks that I think can help Destroy Lonely reel in fans who like eccentric Pop Trap, but do not want to hear some of the more grating and bold sounds on this record. 

I am not going to lie, I did not know what to expect at all when going into this record. I had a general idea of what a Destroy Lonely album would sound like due to the couple of singles I have heard and the artists he is associated with, but I did not know if what I had heard was among his most tame or his most bold music. One thing I will say from the jump is that Destroy Lonely proves he has a ton of potential with LOVE LAST FOREVER. The basis for something very cool, unique, and riveting is here. There are moments where Destroy Lonely totally shines on this project. The high points are very high, for many reasons. For one, I love how he pushes boundaries in such a unique way through the instrumentals on this album. One thing about LOVE LAST FOREVER is that you never know what you are going to get next. It seems like Destroy Lonely has so many different directions he wants to go with his music, and her versatility certainly shines through on this album. Vocally, I was pretty impressed throughout LOVE LASTS FOREVER. Destroy Lonely does show off his range at many points on this record. Some of the higher notes he hits are genuinely impressive, and the variance in his tone on many of these tracks shows how diverse of a vocalist he can be. There are a couple of things that hold this record back, however. For one, LOVE LASTS FOREVER does feel very bloated. If we cut out the bottom 4-6 songs on this record(and maybe replaced them with the bonus tracks), I think the album would be a lot more appealing as a whole. There are times when the record feels like it is going in a great direction, and then there will be several songs in a row that bring it down(you can probably garner this by the placement of the songs I picked for my list above). Also, some of the lyricism kind of turns me off on this project. I have never been a stickler for lyrics and will usually not pick lyrics as a reason to bring an album down, but there is way too much silliness and lack of substance on some of these tracks for me to ignore. Overall, though, Destroy Lonely does show there is something great within him on LOVE LASTS FOREVER. This project did pique my curiosity, and I promise this will not be the last time I review his music because there is a lot to enjoy on LOVE LASTS FOREVER for what it is worth.