Rising pop artist Lola Young is back again with her third album, “I’m Only F**king Myself.” The 24 year old is best known for her 2024 platinum-certified hit, “Messy,” off of her sophomore album, “This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway,” which topped global charts and garnered Young multiple nominations for various awards, securing her spot as one of the past year’s breakout artists.
Her third record began production just after her rapid rise to stardom and was finished a little over a year after her previous release. “I’m Only F**king Myself” expands on a lot of the themes discussed prior. In the singer’s own words, the record is her “ode to self sabotage, [her] chance to claw [herself] back from the edge of defeat,” and this is apparent from the moment you press play.
The opening track, pointedly titled “F**K EVERYONE” (a double entendre, at that) quickly associates an upbeat instrumental with gritty subject matter, notably endless sexual references and innuendos. It is loud and unapologetic, with Young screaming, “I just wanna fuck guys who don’t like me” over distorted electric guitar during the chorus.
This continues into the following track, “One Thing,” the lead single, which introduces a slightly hazier sound. Both express purely sexual desires in physical relationships with others, denouncing any notion of a personal connection, “Everybody wants to know ya / But me, I only want one thing.” These are marred by whispers of self hatred.
This early carefree and judgement-intolerant attitude is quickly deviated from with the entrance of “d£aler,” also a pre-release single. A stripped back pop-song with clear 80’s inspiration, this track introduces the overarching theme of drug abuse. Young has recently begun opening up about her struggles with cocaine addiction, and her recent success with sobriety, with references having been made both implicitly and explicitly throughout her previous work. The album’s focus has been on others up until now, the subject now turns onto Young herself as she proclaims, “I wanna get away, far from here,” presumably to further her use. This brings the listener face to face with the extent of her self-destruction for the very first time.
Its toned back and simpler instrumental carries on into “SPIDERS,” the titular symbol as a metaphor for the negative aspects of the relationship explored in the lyrics. In a discussion of toxic relationships, Young begins to question her own identity in its context, ”I’m not a woman if I don’t have you / And you’re not a man if you don’t have me.”
The first half of the album makes a clear association; with upbeat, loud tracks being a metaphorical shrugging off of the world and all its expectations. While the slower, more emotionally charged tracks, take off the mask to expose some of the deeper issues Young faces. This is eventually deconstructed with track eight ”Post Sex Clarity.”
Perhaps the most profound piece of the album’s thematic structure, this track brings a comfortable midpoint between the two types of melodies mentioned previously. With a slow build to the chorus, this is the first time the two halves of a relationship, sexual and romantic, are brought together. The singer expresses desiring something deeper than just a hookup, declaring, “When I finish it’s not the end of you and I.”
This subversion of previously defined patterns continues with “SAD SOB STORY! :),” where critical commentary of a significant other is paired with slower instrumental, something unusual for the singer. Listeners drawn to the wildly successful “Messy” will likely find this track especially compelling.
Towards the end of the album, we’re treated to the joyful anthem that is “Not Like That Anymore,” a reflective track that reencapsulates all of the themes covered thus far and revisits them with a retrospective attitude. This song is the pinnacle of Young’s transformation before, during and after the creation of the album. By returning to bold instrumentation and a defiant attitude, the album comes full circle. It’s an empowering pop melody that serves as a musical expression of growth and release; an ode to moving on.
Ultimately, “I’m Only F**king Myself” proves that Young is far more than a breakout star—she’s an artist with staying power. The new album delivers on her potential and cements her place as one of pop’s best new artists. Between compelling themes and addictive instrumentation, this is more than just a collection of songs—it’s a self portrait that comes together in real time.
