Laeland ‘look at the mess we made’ Review: A Vulnerable and Heartbreaking “Mess”
By Greg Poblete | Photos via Nettwerk Music Group
Photo Credit: Antwon Hatfield
August 27, 2023 — Mississippi artist, Laeland (Let’s All Embrace Love And Never Die), released his new album, look at the mess we made, on August 25th which tackles the initial heartbreak of a toxic and seemingly codependent relationship. An extension to the five-track EP released earlier this year, Love Is Killing U, Vol. 1, the lyrical narrative follows a heartbroken individual drowning in the pain and sorrow told through hazy, acoustic guitar-driven instrumentals and deep, emotional singing.
look at the mess we made Art
Bradley Davis, known artistically as Laeland, is known for creating atmospheric bedroom pop that has a modern R&B flair with influences ranging from Frank Ocean to SZA. With tracks such as “I’m in love but” and “summer nights” culminating millions of streams on Spotify, it’s evident that Laeland’s deeply personal and transparent songwriting connects with audiences everywhere.
With look at the mess we made, Davis continues to dive deeper into the heartache, marinating in the heavy and dreadful feelings of being betrayed and cheated on. The album plays out like an audiobook version of someone’s handwritten journal, not holding anything back. Whether or not Davis is writing from personal experience or from an objective, anecdotal perspective remains to be a mystery, but it’s undeniable that the lyrics capture a very authentic view of what it feels like to be at this particular place in one’s life.
Starting off the album is the spacey cut “Just Give Me Something” featuring Snøw and Boy Nobody. Through pulsating trap hi-hats and reverb-drenched acoustic guitars, the intro track instantly places the listener right in the middle of the drama of the narrator’s love interest pursuing other people and leaving him behind. The track is lush with plenty of texture, pitched vocals in the background of the beat with Davis’ sad-boy singing taking front and center.
The next track, “Dumb Luck” has a similar vibe to the previous song with its laid-back flow and plucky guitars hovering around the instrumental. Lyrically, the song continues to describe this relationship that is toxic, painting the push and pull of an unhealthy relationship. The hook of “why you gotta be so toxic” is catchy, and it’s almost impossible to not have you singing along by the last chorus.
“u never call.” easily reminds me of “Marvins Room'' by Drake with voicemail recordings in crevices of the song. In his pleading-like singing, Laeland questions why his love interest hasn’t reached out to check in on him, leaving him cold and alone. Three songs into the project and it’s apparent that this person is extremely sad, and as a listener, one can only hope that there is some sort of silver lining to this story. But as the next song suggests, we are still sulking in the heartache for a bit longer.
Thematically up until this point, look at the mess we made is consistent and unapologetically vulnerable. And these are perfect traits to have with any particular music project, but it’s also nice to experience a multitude of emotion and dynamics. Writing songs about a breakup is never easy to do, but there is a catharsis when generating art from such a difficult place. And if this album was rooted from personal experience, I hope the act of creating these songs was productive and therapeutic for Davis.
With that being said, my only demand for this project is to demonstrate more emotional range and perspective. The last thing I want to do is to undermine anyone’s feelings, especially through their artistic endeavors, but this project leaves me grasping for a bit more nuance in regards to falling out of love, and coming up empty handed.
Instrumentally, the album is solid and combines melodic rap with moody R&B effortlessly. The use of acoustic guitars and spacey trap drum sounds adds plenty of flavor and grit to each instrumental. And Davis’ singing is passionate with poignant yet sharp songwriting. The latter half of the album really highlights his songwriting abilities with more ballad driven cuts like “tell me to fall and i will” and “Now and Then.”
The one track that feels a bit out of place is the groovy “Are We Wasting Our Time Again?” This song has the most upbeat instrumentation with an electric guitar climbing up and down a riff as Davis belts out lyrics about wanting to run back to his former lover. It is a great song and fits perfectly in the narrative of the record, but sonically is a bit of an out jog from the rest.
Where Laeland stands tallest is with his somber and simpler tunes such as “tell me to fall and i will.” This track is rather bare bones with only an acoustic guitar and piano chords as Davis continues to express his frustrations and heartache. But without the bumping drums to distract from the core tune, this truly brings out Davis’ best vocals on the entire album as he has nowhere to hide.
And perhaps that’s what makes this project so compelling in the end is that Laeland does not shy away from telling his story. Whether fictional or based on true events, look at the mess we made captures that initial feeling of heartbreak so vividly that as a listener, we have no other choice but to comfort him with our ears. No matter what point in life you are at, I’m sure we have all experienced similar feelings of confusion and questioning in regards to a relationship that Laeland has painted on this album. And being able to have that connection with audiences and capture those human emotions is one of the most beautiful messes anyone can make in music.
look at the mess we made by Laeland is available to listen to now on all streaming services.
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