Lola Young seemed destined to become a one-hit wonder for a moment. Her viral smash »Messy« struck a nerve in 2023—but whether she could follow it up with anything equally impactful remained uncertain. How wrong that doubt turned out to be is made clear by her third album, _I’m Only Fking Myself_**.
After a short spoken-word intro, »F**K EVERYONE« kicks off as the first proper track—and emerges as a central highlight. Cheeky yet never crass, the lyrics meet shoegaze-style walls of guitar, badass riffs, and wave-like vocal samples. The chorus—»I just wanna fuck guys who don’t like me and don’t mind«—is clearly written for maximum effect in big venues. At the core of it all is Young’s distinctive voice.
Even more conventional pop songs like »One Thing« hit the mark: catchy, danceable, landing somewhere between Dua Lipa and Harry Styles—without trying too hard. A recurring theme runs throughout the album: the fraught search for emotional healing without losing oneself. _I’m Only Fking Myself_** delves into introspection, self-criticism, and emotional ambiguity—without offering easy resolutions.
At times, however, tracks like »Walk All Over You« verge on emotional overstatement, hinting at deep feelings without quite articulating them. In those moments, the album briefly loses its shape—but not its overall impact.
