The first long release that introduced us to Lauv’s music was I Met You When I was 18, although he refers to it as his playlist. Three years later he releases his debut album, ~how i’m feeling~ which shows us a more mature side of Lauv that we have never seen before. Through 21 songs, 10 of which were released as singles before the whole album came out, we are able to listen to more of his stories and his different styles.
~how i’m feeling~ shares the artist’s struggles with depression and his relationship to society while also keeping to his roots of creating poetic and deep love songs. “Drugs & The Internet”, “Sad Forever”, “Modern Loneliness” and “f**k, i’m lonely” are the songs that express these feelings in the most powerful way. In “Modern Loneliness” when Lauv sings, “never alone but always depressed,” he describes how some people feel so alone even though they may have close friends and family because we search for gratification from other places such as social media that give us only a rush of happiness, yet still leave us empty. He sings about how today we can have so many relationships with so many people yet there aren’t as many meaningful ones that we can fully trust. These feelings of sadness and loneliness are raw and allow the listeners to connect on a deeper level.
A highlight in this debut album are the multiple collaborations with celebrated artists like Troye Sivan, Alessia Cara, Sofia Reyes, and BTS. Lauv, writer and producer, covers genres including pop and R&B.
The cover art shows Lauv sitting cross legged with all white clothing as six miniature versions of himself sit on him with outfits that are the colors of the rainbow. He expressed that these miniature versions of himself showed us all of his different personalities and alter egos: spicy boy (red), f-boy (orange), Mr. Positive (yellow), class clown (green), hopeless romantic (blue), and the existentialist (purple). He used all of these characters in his songwriting while also showing them to us in visualizers for each song. This creative touch shows his quirky and fun personality.
This is an album that has a unique style and vibe however among the 21 songs some didn’t feel super strong which made the album seem longer than it needed to be. Lauv’s storytelling is able to draw listeners in with just his lyrics while also producing amazing sequences of chords from his instruments. I recommend this album for those who enjoy soulful, vibey, and honest music.