Album Review: Before I Forget

A vibrant and surreal album cover for "Don't Be Dumb" by A$AP Rocky and Tim Burton, featuring abstract, cartoonish figures in a bold, colorful style with a prominent red prohibition symbol in the background.

“I made this album in the last 4 months. I had a whole other album that was completed, but I scrapped it. started again from scratch, with the exception of 1 song. It's my favorite thing I’ve ever made. It's also the most personal thing I’ve ever made. sorry it’s taken a while. I hope that it resonates with you in some way cause it means a hell of a lot to me. I love you and thank you for supporting me always.”

These are the words that 22-year-old Australian singer, rapper, and songwriter Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard, better known as The Kid Laroi, said on an Instagram post regarding his brand new full-length album, “Before I Forget”. Laroi, who has been making music since 2018 (meaning he started his career at age 14) has been steadily gaining traction since 2020 releasing numerous hit songs like; “Stay (Featuring Justin Bieber)”, “Without You (featuring Miley Cyrus)”, and more recently with his previous album The First Time songs like “Nights Like This” and “Too Much (featuring Jungkook and Central Cee)”. He began teasing this album with multiple tweets saying “B.I.F.” before then confirming the album’s title and release date with the previously quoted message posted to Instagram on November 20th. He’d then release the songs “A COLD PLAY” (September 5th), “A PERFECT WORLD”(November 20th), and “BACK WHEN YOU WERE MINE” (January 2nd, a week before the album’s release).

A large amount of this album covers heartbreak and relationship troubles. Reminiscing on past

relationships and what he wishes could be the case at this point in time. Songs like THE

MOMENT, which Laroi sings about in the chorus: “Waitin' for the day when no one is watching

Our spirits finally safe, transcend to the sky. There's nothing in our way, just us for the moment,

Us for the moment”. He sings in the lead single A COLD PLAY, with a lot of repetition in the lyrics but truly getting the theme across “It's really hard to accept the fact that I can'tFix you, fix you, fix you, fix you Fix you, fix you, fix you, wish I could Miss you, miss you, miss you, I miss you, It's really hard to accept the fact I can't fix you, now”. On RATHER BE, he’s talking about wishing he was with his previous lover. And in the album’s outro, BACK WHEN YOU WERE MINE, it’s more reminiscing about how things were much different while they were together, with lyrics; “You thought It'd never be this cold (Thought it'd never be this—), I bet you thought I'd never sing this song (Sing this song), I hope that you don't take this wrong (I hope that), I'm just saying that it's different, different than (Back when you were mine)”.

To some, the theme and storytelling can feel repetitive, but I think it’s what keeps the project a consistently listenable experience from start to finish. You feel like you’re hearing him process the emotions that come with a bad breakup. Some self-doubt, some blaming, trying to imagine if the split never happened, and realizing how much those things can change how you view life.

A$AP Rocky teams up with Tim Burton to present "Don't Be Dumb," featuring a quirky and surreal cover with cartoonish characters holding megaphones, embodying Burton's signature style.

Now, what is clear to me after multiple listens is that this album lacks the commercial hits that

The First Time, or even his mixtape “F*CK LOVE 3,” which he had released before that. This

album doesn’t have a “Stay”, or a “Too Much”. No super big-name features like Miley Cyrus,

Future, or Justin Bieber. And in turn, that’s one of the album’s biggest strengths. This album is

Laroi, in what I feel is his rawest and truest form, makes this album a personal and emotional

listen. Albeit not straying too far away from the sounds of his previous work. Songs such as

“ME + YOU” and “RATHER BE” both have a sound that makes them feel like they belong on the

last project with the melodies and production. From a musical note, it appears the popstar draws

on some very noticeable R&B influence throughout the album.

Whether it’s the sample of The Weeknd’s record “Tell Your Friends” in ME + YOU, the sound of the beat in RATHER BE, or even just the entire song of “THE MOMENT” which sounds so reminiscent of Early 2000s R&B in my personal opinion, especially with the vocals of the featured artist Clara La San. And by letting those sounds flow through most of the project, it helps keep the vibe of this album even more present. A lot of those older R&B albums dealt with the same topics, effects, and sounds.

The album is a great listen from start to finish. It keeps you invested in the story he’s telling, and the strong vocals and ballads throughout just showcase the vast talent he has at such a young age. A couple of standout tracks I personally love are: Rather Be, The Moment, and

Back When You Were Mine. All of which have the classic R&B sound, with Laroi’s voice

sounding great over all of them. I think the album is a very strong release to start the year off

, and I hope it doesn't get forgotten over the course of the year with its early release because the

music deserves the utmost appreciation. And I firmly believe it will stand the course of this year,

being one of the best albums released in 2026.