Loyle Carner shares new singles “about time / lyin.” This marks Loyle’s second, surprise two-song drop to preview his hugely-anticipated new album hopefully !, which will be released on June 20th via Island EMI and was introduced recently alongside the beguiling double single “all i need / in my mind.”
Following the album’s release, Loyle Carner will be heading on his hopefully ! world tour featuring an extensive run of global dates – beginning with his Glastonbury headline set this Summer, a string of European dates in October and continuing on to a US run in February 2026 with shows in New York, Chicago, D.C., Los Angeles and more.
“about time” has the instant feel of a landmark Loyle Carner record. Contemplative but uplifting, its loose, live-band sound cushions a flow of startling honesty into growing up: what you let go of, and what you carry with you, out of adolescence. Although universal in spirit, “about time” is vividly open in personal detail: the track closes on a conversation about home between father and son, a relationship threaded throughout hopefully ! right down to its suitably-imperfect artwork (coloured in by his kid after Loyle left some photos within arm’s reach).
B-side “lyin,” meanwhile, puts Loyle Carner’s long-hidden singing voice boldly front and centre. Fusing lullaby-esque acoustics with hushed rap, its tangible sense of light contends with the anxieties of love, and the growing responsibilities of adulthood.
hopefully ! is Loyle Carner as you’ve never seen or heard him before. A life-affirming exploration of fatherhood and childhood, the album is buoyed by a positivity and lightness of touch achieved in large part by stepping out of his comfort zone. In a series of firsts – singing, producing, accidentally forming the band of his dreams – Loyle Carner cultivates healthier boundaries while also allowing his audience in. It’s a new era in which Carner continues to push the boundaries of his art, and himself: a passionate advocate around his experiences of dyslexia and ADHD – notably founding the Chilli Con Carner cookery workshops – last year he received an honorary doctorate from UAL in recognition of his powerful rise thus far. He was also recently confirmed to make his acting debut in Mint, a BBC drama from BAFTA-nominated Scrapper director Charlotte Regan, with further exciting visual projects to follow.
Loyle Carner first emerged with 2013’s A Little Late EP, and has since forged a signature blend of unflinching, diaristic lyricism with ambitious, genre-disruptive sounds. His debut album, 2017’s Yesterday’s Gone, untangled personal experiences of grief, and the pressures of coming-of-age; 2019 follow-up, Not Waving, but Drowning, further showcased Loyle’s ability to set hip-hop against old-soul wisdom. A cathartic turning point proved to be 2022’s hugo: a taut, textured exploration of Black identity and anger, which also secured his second Top 3 album. Having been twice shortlisted for the Mercury Prize – and scored further BRIT and NME Award nominations – Carner has earned an impassioned worldwide following, with 1.1B streams, campaigns with global brands (YSL, New Balance, Nike) and sold-out shows including Alexandra Palace, Wembley Arena, Eventim Apollo, O2 Academy Brixton and Royal Albert Hall in his beloved London hometown alone. This journey climaxed in a headline appearance at All Points East’s 35,000 capacity Victoria Park last summer, which hopefully ! emerged in the wake of.
