A notification buzzes my phone. Looking down, I see it’s from Spotify alerting me of the release of Earl Sweatshirt’s newest album Live, Laugh, Love. Eagerly, I open the app and click on the first song. Recently, I’ve been listening to music in a car, which, in my humble opinion, is one of the best places to immerse yourself into sonic landscapes. At this particular moment, I just so happened to have a three-hour drive ahead of me; perfect for a top-to-bottom listening of ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ and then some.
After finishing Live, Laugh, Love, I moved on to Voir Dire and then SICK! and so on and so forth. I knew I was going to write about Earl's newest album, but in order to do so accurately, I needed a fresh understanding of his musical peregrination. Earl originally began his musical ventures in the 7th grade, joining Odd Future just one year later in 2009 after Tyler, The Creator found him on Myspace; inviting him into the collective. Later on, his mother sent him to a boarding school in Samoa due to the vulgarity and controversy surrounding the music collective. When he returned, he put out his first album, Doris, in 2013. Since then, Earl Sweatshirt has become a prolific rapper, producer, and lyricist known for his poetic writing style and exploratory beats.
The saying Live, Laugh, Love comes from Bessie Anderson Stanley’s 1904 poem Success in which it says “He has achieved success / who has lived well / laughed often, and loved much.” This idea interlaces itself throughout every note of this album. Earl takes his listener on a sonic journey of becoming grounded within yourself; opening yourself up to joy and finding the happiness in life while staying humble to both yourself and those around you. Here are my top 5 songs in a lyrically and harmoniously stacked album.
“Infatuation” is packed with subtle metaphors, allusions and double entendres, guiding the listener to find the feeling of being grounded and humble. Earl has a way with lyrics, making it crucial to listen time and time again to find the hidden meaning underneath his poetry. Earl opens the song quoting Zach Snyder’s war film 300 in which King Leonidas says, “Tonight we dine in hell,” with a slight alteration to “Tonight we dining where? Tell Leonidas I know somewhere with a finer fare.” Evoking the idea that Earl has graduated from a more sinister mindset into someone who can find joy in the mundane. Throughout the song, we see this theme of both growth and groundedness enveloping every line.
2. "TOURMALINE"
“Tourmaline” seems to be the second half to “Infatuation,” exploring the journey of healing and re-finding oneself. Tourmaline, a gemstone associated with enlightenment and balance, is the quintessential way of describing his growth. Earl incorporates references from Mario to describe the act of scrubbing away the grime, finding out what is truly important to him; this being his love for his kids and his wife. As we get deeper into the song, Earl unfolds his struggle with drugs and mental health through his music, displaying that you can change your actions to create a better life for yourself.
3. "FORGE"
“Forge” is the perfect name for this song; to forge means to create, much like Earl is creating new circumstances for himself to live by. In this short, yet lyrically packed song, Earl is able to explain how he has pushed through tribulations in order to come out on the other side both stronger and more humble. His hiatus brought him back with a sharper edge in understanding his values but also in relation to his music. He knows he is one of the best and he intends to keep it that way while still pushing the preestablished boundaries.
4. "Exhaust"
“Exhaust” is a song about faith and healing within, a complicated relationship but one that is important to grapple with. Within Earl’s lyrics it’s plain to see that he has a strong relationship with his faith and looks toward a higher being to guide him forward. This relates to his relationship with his kids, specifically with his daughter and his dad. It’s known that Earl has a complicated relationship with his father, but through this song we can see that amends have been made to an extent insofar of him giving his daughter his dads last name. This marks Earl's ability to find solstice within himself and his faith enough to let the grudges go.
“Gamma (need the <3)” leans into Earl’s spirituality while also recognizing his musical prolificity. He never sells himself short, in fact, he does the exact opposite while encouraging his listeners to do the same. He doesn’t confuse being humble with being self-confident and understanding one’s worth. He accentuates the idea that you need to push yourself in order to become great and to never underestimate yourself or else that will become reality. Earl gives his listener a pep talk, telling them to push through and to work hard in order to actualize your dreams.
Live, Laugh, Love is a mellow album mirroring its lyrical and sonic groundedness that envelopes its listeners. Earl's voice floats through the album toying with different expressions of faith, spirituality and finding peace within oneself. This album is Earl’s self-actualization of his new chapter in life.
Eve Riskind is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at elr229@cornell.edu
