THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.

the take

i really don’t have words for this record. this is an ALBUM. every song fits into the overarching theme of the project - nothing is out of place. “I Know You’re Hurting.” and “Fields.” might be a bit more difficult for me to get through, but they are far from being bad songs or worse, filler songs. this album got me through one of the hardest moments of my life and it truly does contain hope. of course, “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” has to be the highest point in the general public’s consensus, but when it starts off with the intro track, then “I Will Overcome.”, “Beware… The South London Lover Boy.”, “The WhatsApp Shakespeare.” and “Winter Woman.”… that’s such an insane first 15 minutes already. RAYE has such an unmistakable talent for making the listener feel the emotions behind her songs so viscerally, it’s hard not to immediately be immersed in the world she’s built with this album from the very moment it starts. unless Ariana Grande pulls something really special with her upcoming album, “petal”, i have no doubt that THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE stands a very good chance of being my album of 2026.