Description
Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loveliest Time – White Vinyl Record
Carly Rae Jepsen’s The Loveliest Time, released on July 28, 2023, is both a companion and a counterpoint to her previous album, The Loneliest Time (2022). Where The Loneliest Time delved into introspection, romantic disillusionment, and the ache of isolation—much of it shaped by the emotional solitude of the pandemic—The Loveliest Time is its jubilant mirror: a celebration of freedom, desire, renewal, and the thrill of possibility. It’s not merely a collection of B-sides or leftovers; rather, it’s a carefully curated album in its own right, one that emphasizes Carly Rae Jepsen’s mastery of euphoric pop with emotional depth.
Much like her 2016 release Emotion: Side B, The Loveliest Time reaffirms Jepsen’s reputation for releasing “off-cycle” records that often expand and refine the emotional and sonic palettes of her mainline albums. But this time, there’s more than just refinement—there’s liberation. The songs here sound lighter, riskier, and more open to experimentation. Produced by longtime collaborators like Rostam Batmanglij, James Ford, and John Hill, the album moves effortlessly across disco, synthpop, funk, and indie-electronic textures, all unified by Jepsen’s distinctive sense of melody and emotional candor.
Opening with the bright and buoyant “Anything to Be With You,” the album immediately declares its mood: playful, romantic, and forward-looking. Jepsen’s voice, effervescent yet grounded, glides over sparkly synths and upbeat percussion. There’s a sense of giddy urgency that recalls the best of her Emotion era—songs that seem made for spontaneous midnight drives and dance floors that exist more in fantasy than in reality.
Standout tracks include “Psychedelic Switch,” a sleek, slinky dance track that’s arguably one of the most experimental songs of her career. With its hypnotic pulse and whispered vocals, it channels influences from 1980s dance-pop and late-night electro grooves. In contrast, “Shy Boy” offers flirtatious disco vibes, evoking both classic Studio 54-era seduction and Jepsen’s love for the romantic drama embedded in pop music’s golden age.
Another key highlight is “Kollage,” one of the more emotionally complex songs on the album. It leans into a moodier, more ambient sound, with Jepsen exploring themes of emotional fragmentation and memory. Here, she’s not just chasing pleasure—she’s reflecting on how desire and vulnerability intertwine.
What’s striking about The Loveliest Time is its emotional duality. On one level, it’s an escape—an antidote to the introspective heaviness of The Loneliest Time. But beneath the surface gloss and glitter, Jepsen continues to write with lyrical nuance, addressing the emotional risk of being open, the messiness of post-heartbreak longing, and the fleeting nature of connection.
The album’s pacing is swift and coherent, never overstaying its welcome. Even tracks that are clearly more playful—like the tongue-in-cheek “Stadium Love” or the shimmering, summer-crush anthem “After Last Night”—still carry the emotional intelligence that has made Jepsen an enduring force in modern pop. Her strength lies in turning personal, emotionally specific moments into shared, cathartic joy.
Critics have largely praised The Loveliest Time as a vibrant addition to Jepsen’s catalog—another example of how her “side” albums often surpass the thematic or emotional impact of her main releases. Rather than feeling like a sequel, The Loveliest Time plays like the answer to a question—a radiant, expansive companion that embraces vulnerability, joy, and the sheer thrill of being alive in an unpredictable world.
Brand new, never played and still in the factory plastic sealed
Track Listing
Anything To Be With You
Kamikaze
After Last Night
Aeroplanes
Shy Boy
Kollage
Shadow
Psychedelic Switch
So Right
Come Over
Put It To Rest
Stadium Love
Weekend Love
