Thirteen songs. Four sides on the vinyl edition. Jordan Rakei’s The Loop gives us a pleasingly manageable invitation to put the phone somewhere inconvenient.

Released in May 2024, the album belongs to a body of work in which the multi-instrumentalist, singer, producer and songwriter keeps returning to personal change. His official description places family and emotional growth among the ideas guiding that journey.

The running order is a useful place to start. “Flowers” opens the record, followed by “Freedom” and “Friend or Foe.” Later, titles including “Learning,” “Everything Everything” and “A Little Life” suggest a songwriter interested in questions at both the everyday and enormous ends of the scale. Song titles are invitations; the songs get to supply the answers.

We’d begin at the beginning, then return to “Freedom” and “A Little Life” as two points within the larger sequence. Hearing a song in its album setting gives it neighbors, context and a journey to take.

That is why this record makes a worthwhile discovery feature beyond its original release week. Rakei’s several musical roles give readers multiple things to follow: the writing, the voice, the arrangements and the decisions that bring them together.

Give him a full side before deciding what goes on the playlist. Sometimes an album has already done the sequencing for you.

Explore the official release and listening links.

Official release artwork. Source: Jordan Rakei / Decca Records. Artwork source.

Written by Chetuno