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The Loveliest Time is the seventh studio album from Carly Rae Jepsen. It was released on July 28th 2023 through 604, School Boy, and Interscope Records.
The project serves as a companion follow-up to The Loneliest Time. It features 13 tracks, consisting of newly reworked and tweaked outtakes from The Loneliest Time.
Track listing[]
Standard track listing[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Anything To Be With You | Carly Rae Jepsen • Tavish Crowe • Jared Manierka • Noonie Bao • Patrik Berger • Markus Krunegard | Patrik Berger • John Hill | 3:17 |
| 2. | Kamikaze | Jepsen • Jakob Hazell • Svante Halldin | Jack & Coke | 2:59 |
| 3. | After Last Night | Jepsen • Rostam • Noonie Bao • Angel Deradoorian | Rostam | 3:29 |
| 4. | Aeroplanes | Jepsen • Patrik Berger | Patrik Berger | 3:21 |
| 5. | Shy Boy | Jepsen • Kyle Shearer • Nate Campany • Ethan Gruska • Ben Romans • Nate Cyphert • Bo Watson • June Watson | James Ford | 3:29 |
| 6. | Kollage | Jepsen • Patrik Berger | Patrik Berger | 4:17 |
| 7. | Shadow | Jepsen • Rostam | Rostam | 2:49 |
| 8. | Psychedelic Switch | Jepsen • Kyle Shearer • Nate Cyphert | Kyle Shearer | 4:32 |
| 9. | So Right 🅴 | Jepsen • Nate Cyphert • Cole M.G.N. | Cole M.G.N. | 3:36 |
| 10. | Come Over | Jepsen • John Hill • Jordan Palmer • Nate Campany | John Hill • Jordan Palmer | 2:54 |
| 11. | Put It to Rest | Jepsen • Patrik Berger • Noonie Bao | Patrik Berger | 3:18 |
| 12. | Stadium Love | Jepsen • Lewis OfMan | Lewis OfMan • Oliver Lundström | 2:51 |
Bonus track[]
§ Included on worldwide digital version and Japanese physical edition
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | Weekend Love | Jepsen • Ethan Gruska • Lenny Goldsmith | Ethan Gruska | 2:42 |
Background[]
Previous Side B projects[]
With her previous studio album releases, Emotion and Dedicated, Jepsen would write over 200 songs for each project, although just around twenty or less would make the final cut for the album. She described how the process of narrowing down each album's track listing was very involved, consisting of multiple revisions and listening parties to discern which songs should be released. As a result, Carly released Emotion Side B and Dedicated Side B, two companion projects which feature a collection of outtakes from the original albums.
The Loneliest Time Side B[]
With the release of The Loneliest Time, Carly revealed that she had written over 100 songs for the project between 2020 and 2022, and had narrowed it down to just 30-40 in consideration for the album's track list. [1] As such, it was also expected the album would receive its own Side B release.
Carly first teased the possibility of The Loneliest Time Side B in an October 2022 interview with The Cut, in which she stated, "We'll see. I’m not sure if the world’s ready for more of that indulgence." [2] That same month, Carly revealed she had been discussing potential Side B contenders with her A&R manager and stated there were 65 songs to narrow down a selection from. [3] She further teased the possibility of The Loneliest Time Side B on October 28th 2022; "A song we started there but never finished… who knows b-sides baby?" [4]
The Loveliest Time[]
In June 2023, Jepsen took to Instagram to answer fan questions, and when asked about the possibility of The Loneliest Time Side B, confirmed the project would be "less of a B-sides" and more of a "companion" project to The Loneliest Time. That same day, she announced the release of Shy Boy. [5] In July 2023, Jepsen revealed that the project would be called The Loveliest Time. [6]
Writing and development[]
Development across early 2023[]
The development process for The Loveliest Time would begin sometime after the release of The Loneliest Time in October 2022, and largely took place across early-to-mid 2023 whilst Carly was embarking on The So Nice Tour. She gave herself the constraint of finishing the album before the beginning of summer, due to a series of live dates she had planned with boygenius and the Anything To Be With You concert-series in July and August 2023. [7]
Whilst on tour across the U.K., Ireland, and Australia, Carly worked on The Loveliest Time in hotel rooms, studios, and tour buses. The album was intended to best tell "the other side of the story" from The Loneliest Time, as "yin and yang" type of balance - the album was inspired by "the joy and elation of getting over a break-up and a too-reflective time in pandemic isolation, coming out on the other side to find new love and a new perception of herself." [7]
In a departure from the ways Emotion Side B and Dedicated Side B were developed as a simple collection of album outtakes, development of The Loveliest Time was instead characterised by reworking and tweaking songs originally written for The Loneliest Time. [7] On the process of doing so, Carly explained:
| “ | It’s one thing to write a song during a period of your life and to put it out and its's another to write a song about a period of your life and put it away and then come back a year or more later, look at who you were back then, the decisions you made back then, why it got frozen in time, why it didn’t make it to that album and then go back in and workshop it. | ” |
–Carly Rae Jepsen, 2023 [7] | ||
"I didn’t just have these songs and go “Oh, ‘B-sides’ is due let’s put it out.’ I went back in. It’s almost harder than putting out a first album because you’re going in and trying to workshop and problem solve and rethink. Sometimes it’s easy because you’ve had that time and perspective and you’re like, “Oh, my God, the chorus was visibly over here. What were we doing?” And sometimes it’s like, “Oh, I know, there’s something here. I need help. Let’s just try to get some new fresh eyes on it.”" [7] Carly states that The Loveliest Time is her favourite album that she's put out to date. [7]
Deciding on the album's title[]
It was originally speculated that The Loveliest Time would be titled 'The Loneliest Time Side B', following the previous pattern set by Emotion Side B and Dedicated Side B. However, going into the new b-sides project, Carly stated she knew the direction she wanted to head in, and approach it as its own body of work. The decision to rename the album came as Carly thought it was "already quite weighted to call something 'The Loneliest Time'" and felt the 'Side B' title would be too much of a "downer" - "I just couldn’t do it," she stated. [8]
Track list finalisations[]
The track listing for The Loveliest Time was finalised in May 2023 with Tavish Crowe, in Los Angeles. Carly discussed how she felt it was important to open the album with something that "felt big," in a similar vein of the cassette tape on First Time. As such, she knew she wanted to album to begin with Anything To Be With You, and end with Stadium Love (which closes out the standard edition of the album), as a "mini musical" moment. [8] She finalised the track order and shared it with her bandmates, prior to her performance at BottleRock in Napa Valley, on May 27th 2023 - Carly stated that there was "one switch" made from the suggestion of her band. [8]
Announcement and release[]
Jepsen released Shy Boy as the first single from the album on June 23rd 2023. In the following weeks, The Loveliest Time was officially announced on July 6th 2023, with a release date set for a month's time. [9]
| “ | It’s been the loneliest time, it’s been the loveliest time. After a season of hibernation comes the season of blossoming. I got to know loneliness and discover the beauty in it. The loneliest time taught me that growth comes from being planted in darkness. But now the world has opened itself back up again and in turn so have we. It’s time for celebration and for all the lessons we have learned to burst into joyful action. The Loveliest Time… At this point you know me so well that I won’t even tease about a b sides. It’s almost disrespectful because you know that it’s coming. And in fact this is the time to announce that it’s here. It’s done and a month from now The Loveliest Time will be all yours. I can’t really call it a b sides as if these were cast off ideas - it’s the completed set to a body of work that taught me so much about love and loneliness and myself. |
” |
–Carly Rae Jepsen, 2023 [9] | ||
The album cover for The Loveliest Time was unveiled on July 12th, alongside the announcement of the album's official release date. [10] On July 13th, Jepsen posted a video teaser for the album to her social media - a continuation of the same video that was made for The Loneliest Time prior to its announcement. [11] The album's official track listing was unveiled on July 18th with a crossword puzzle. [12] On July 20th 2023, digital copies of the album were made available on the 604 Store website, causing the album to leak early.
The Loveliest Time was released on July 28th 2023 as a then digital and streaming-only release. The Japanese edition of the album, including Weekend Love as a physical-exclusive bonus track was released in September 2023. CD and vinyl copies of The Loveliest Time were released worldwide on September 8th 2023.
Release history[]
| Country | Date | Edition | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | July 28th 2023 | Standard edition | Digital Streaming |
604 School Boy Interscope |
| Worldwide | September 8th 2023 | Standard edition | CD Vinyl |
604 School Boy Interscope |
| Japan | September 2023 | Japanese edition | CD | Universal |
Singles[]
Shy Boy[]
Shy Boy was the lead single from The Loveliest Time. It was released on June 23rd 2023 under 604, School Boy, and Interscope Records.
Anything To Be With You[]
Whilst not released as a single, Anything To Be With You received an official visualiser on September 7th 2023.
Gallery[]
Gallery[]
Album booklet[]
Album credits[]
Writing and production[]
- Carly Rae Jepsen - songwriting (all tracks)
- Tavish Crowe - songwriting (1)
- Jared Manierka - songwriting (1)
- Noonie Bao - songwriting (1, 3, 11)
- Patrik Berger - songwriting, production (1, 3, 4, 11)
- John Hill - songwriting (10); production (1, 10);
- Jakob Hazell – songwriting, production (2)
- Svante Halldin – songwriting, production (2)
- Rostam Batmanglij – songwriting, production (3, 7)
- Kyle Shearer – songwriting (5, 8); production (8)
- Nate Campany – songwriting (5, 10)
- Ethan Gruska – songwriting (5, 13)
- Ben Romans – songwriting (5)
- James Ford – production (5)
- Bo Watson – songwriting (5)
- June Watson – songwriting (5)
- Nate Cyphert – songwriting (8, 9)
- Cole M.G.N. – songwriting, production (9)
- Jordan Palmer – songwriting, production (10)
- Lewis OfMan – songwriting, production (12)
- Oliver Lundström – production (12)
Performance[]
- Carly Rae Jepsen – vocals (all tracks); background vocals (tracks 2, 7, 8, 13)
- Angel Deradoorian – background vocals (3)
- Nate Cyphert – background vocals (8, 9)
- Kyle Shearer – background vocals (8)
- Oliver Lundström – additional vocals (12)
Instrumentation[]
- Patrik Berger – drums (1), keyboards (4, 6, 11)
- Elliot Bergman – horn (1)
- Jakob Hazell – bass, drums, keyboards (2)
- Svante Halldin – bass, drums, keyboards (2)
- Rostam Batmanglij – drum programming, percussion, synthesizer (3, 7); drum machine, strings (3); synth bass (7)
- Joey Messina-Doerning – piano (3)
- Jesper Nordenström – keyboards (4, 6, 11)
- Cristoffer Cantillo – drums (4), percussion (11)
- James Ford – bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer (5)
- Rob Moose – strings (5)
- Danielle Haim – drums (7)
- Kyle Shearer – bass, drum programming, guitar, synthesizer (8)
- Cole M.G.N. – drum programming, electric bass, electric guitar, synthesizer (9)
- Evan Smith – saxophone (9)
- Jordan Palmer – bass, drums, guitar, synthesizer (10)
- John Hill – bass, drums, guitar, synthesizer (10)
- Nils Törnqvist – drums (11)
- Oliver Lundström – bass, drums, synthesizer (12)
- Lewis OfMan – sampler, synthesizer, synthesizer programming (12)
- Ethan Gruska – bass, mellotron, percussion, synthesizer (13)
Technical[]
- Ruairi O'Flaherty – mastering (all tracks)
- Patrik Berger – programming (1, 11); engineering (1, 4, 6, 11)
- Markus Krunegård – programming (1)
- Lars Stalfors – mixing (1, 14)
- Michelle Amkoff – engineering (1, 4, 6, 11)
- Jakob Hazell – engineering, programming (2)
- Svante Halldin – engineering, programming (2)
- Alex Ghenea – mixing (2)
- Rostam Batmanglij – engineering, drum programming (3, 7)
- Manny Marroquin – mixing (3, 7)
- Joey Messina-Doerning – engineering (3, 7)
- Anthony Vilchis – mixing assistance (3, 7)
- Trey Station – mixing assistance (3, 7)
- Zach Pereyra – mixing assistance (3, 7)
- Anthony Dolhai – mixing (4–6, 11, 12)
- Nacho Sotelo – mix engineering (4, 6, 11, 12)
- James Ford – engineering (5)
- Kyle Shearer – engineering, drum programming (8)
- Ike Schultz – mixing (8)
- Cole M.G.N. – engineering, drum programming (9)
- David Wrench – mixing (9)
- Tom Norris – mixing (10)
- Rob Cohen – engineering (10)
- Lewis OfMan – synthesizer programming (12)
- Oliver Lundström – engineering (12)
- Ethan Gruska – programming, engineering (13)
[]
Side B • 2020
2019
Side B • 2016
2015
2012
2012
2008
| The Loneliest Time | Surrender My Heart • Joshua Tree • Talking To Yourself • Far Away • Sideways • Beach House • Bends • Western Wind • So Nice • Bad Thing Twice • Shooting Star • Go Find Yourself or Whatever • The Loneliest Time (feat. Rufus Wainwright) • Anxious • No Thinking Over the Weekend • Keep Away |
|---|---|
| The Loveliest Time | 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 |
| Other releases | Move Me (with Lewis OfMan) • Hello Kitty: Super Style (Theme Song) • Shadow (George Daniel Remix) • Rare (feat. Carly Rae Jepsen) • Tiny Moves |
| Leaked | Lost in Devotion • The Man's Got Music • Like Gold • Down To The Middle |
|---|---|
| Unleaked | Let's Pretend This Never Happened • Waterlines • Don't Kiss the Producer • Devotion • Come Around • Wait For Me • Unconditionally • Sweater Weather • It's Not Over • Water Me Down |
| Electric Guest demos | Clues • Coming Soon • Summer Vibe • Cruising For Hours • Spotlight • Night Out • Why Not? • Only 1 4 Me • 97 • Come Pick Me Up • Ur Love Means 2 Me • Weekend • Next Life • OUCH • You, You, You, You • Emergency Love • Closer • Let's Pretend |
References[]
- ↑ Kuga, Mitchell CARLY RAE JEPSEN DOESN’T WANT TO STAY IN HER LANE Nylon, August 8th 2022
- ↑ Cohen, Danielle Carly Rae Jepsen Has a Cynical Side (...) The Cut, October 19th 2022
- ↑ Sayles, Justin Carly Rae Jepsen Wants You to Know You’re Not Alone The Ringer, October 24th 2022
- ↑ @carlyraewiki '@carlyraejepsen teases an unreleased song from 'The Loneliest Time' sessions via Instagram (...)' October 28th 2022 - via Twitter
- ↑ @carlyraewiki "@carlyraejepsen reveals that her next album will be "less of a b-sides project" (...)" June 15th 2023 - via Twitter
- ↑ @carlyraeupdts "During her latest interview in Japan, Carly revealed that the name of the companion project to "The Loneliest Time" is 'The Loveliest Time" July 3rd 2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Spanos, Brittany "Carly Rae Jepsen Says Her New Project ‘The Loveliest Time’ Is Her Favorite — and Freest — Album Yet" Rolling Stone, July 19th 2023
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Seo, Rachel "Carly Rae Jepsen on ‘Experimental’ Album ‘The Loveliest Time’: It’s a ‘Place to Get Wild and Freaky’" Variety, July 28th 2023
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 @carlyraejepsen "It’s been the loneliest time, it’s been the loveliest time. (...)" July 6th 2023, via Twitter
- ↑ @carlyraejepsen "The Loveliest Time, July 28th" Instagram, July 12th 2023
- ↑ @carlyraejepsen "The Loveliest Time. July 28th (...)" July 13th 2023 - via Twitter
- ↑ @carlyraejepsen "...Crossword puzzle that is. Here are some cutie clues to get you guessing our track list." July 18th 2023 - via Twitter