Description
Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loneliest Time – Vinyl Record
Carly Rae Jepsen’s The Loneliest Time, released on October 21, 2022, is a shimmering, emotionally textured album that continues her reign as one of pop music’s most nuanced storytellers, while exploring new sonic territory and more introspective themes. Known for crafting emotionally resonant synth-pop with an effervescent glow, Jepsen uses The Loneliest Time to blend melancholy and joy, weaving together disco, funk, indie pop, and soft-rock into a collection that feels both deeply personal and luxuriously escapist.
While her earlier albums like Emotion (2015) and Dedicated (2019) were praised for their tight pop structure and heartfelt delivery, The Loneliest Time feels more expansive and contemplative. Jepsen dives into the emotional aftermath of isolation, heartbreak, and uncertainty—largely influenced by the introspection brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic—but she wraps these themes in bright production, airy vocals, and occasional bursts of disco-laced exuberance.
The album opens with “Surrender My Heart,” a quintessential Jepsen track that builds from vulnerability into catharsis. It sets the tone for the record’s core tension: the desire to connect deeply while wrestling with past wounds. Standout tracks like “Talking to Yourself” showcase her talent for marrying anxious emotional themes with infectious hooks, while “Western Wind”—co-produced by Rostam (of Vampire Weekend)—takes a more minimal, breezy approach, channeling Laurel Canyon-style folk-pop with a modern sheen.
Perhaps the most sonically surprising moment comes with the title track, “The Loneliest Time,” featuring Rufus Wainwright. A theatrical disco duet, the song pairs sweeping strings with playful melodrama, becoming an instant fan favorite for its ABBA-esque flair and hopeful, campy energy. Lines like “I’m coming back for you, baby / I’m coming back for you” transformed into a viral moment, reaffirming Jepsen’s pop culture resonance beyond the music itself.
Across the album, Jepsen leans into mid-tempo grooves and lush synths, opting for emotional subtlety over big pop bangers. Songs like “Far Away,” “Go Find Yourself or Whatever,” and “So Nice” explore the emotional gray zones of modern relationships—not heartbreak or euphoria, but the in-between feelings: nostalgia, uncertainty, and quiet longing. There’s a softness and maturity to the songwriting that shows her evolution as an artist unafraid to sit with complex emotional states.
The Loneliest Time was well received for its cohesive aesthetic and emotional transparency. While not aiming for chart-dominating hits, it solidified Jepsen’s role as a cult pop auteur—someone whose work is beloved for its sincerity, craftsmanship, and refusal to chase trends. It debuted in the Top 20 on the Billboard 200 and was followed by the The Loveliest Time (2023), a companion record that explores the joyous aftermath of the emotional introspection that defines The Loneliest Time.
The Loneliest Time is not just a collection of songs about solitude—it’s an elegant, sometimes whimsical, always heartfelt reflection on what it means to long for connection, to heal, and to hope. It’s Carly Rae Jepsen at her most emotionally honest and artistically refined.
Brand new, never played and still in the factory plastic sealed
Track Listing
Surrender My Heart
Joshua Tree
Talking To Yourself
Far Away
Sideways
Beach House
Bends
Western Wind
So Nice
Bad Thing Twice
Shooting Star
Go Find Yourself Or Whatever
The Loneliest Time
