“The First Time” by The Kid Laroi tells a story of what it’s like going through a heartbreak while also growing up from being a teenager. Laroi would leave cryptic posts and messages on his Instagram account leading up to the album release. He proceeded to drop a long awaited song his fans have been waiting for almost two years called “What Just Happened.” He also dropped his song “Bleed” which is undoubtedly the best song on the album. Laroi gained a new found respect from the music community dropping this album, beating the industry plant allegations and allowing Laroi to find a new sound in his music making skills.

“The First Time” started off with his song called “Sorry” with the first verse starting off with the struggles of him being a teenager, having to deal with taking care of his family and spending money on unimportant things. But the second verse flushes away all the negativity expressing the accomplishments he has gotten and how he’s doing better in life than the people that hate on him. Verses like “All that sneak dissin’ on the internet/ you must be bored/ want my reaction/ but my time some s**t you can’t afford,” shows how his life is compared to the people that diss him. 

The song then transitions to not only the best song on the album but one of The Kid Laroi’s best songs in his entire discography: “Bleed.” It’s a heartbreaking song on how Laroi’s relationship with his girlfriend is over but also how she moved on so fast while he’s still recovering. This song is personal with Laroi’s fans as he was very open about his relationship with his ex-girlfriend. This song made people question what happened with the relationship and how did it end as both weren’t public about the breakup until the album was released.

The second half of the album leans towards the regrets Laroi is going through in his last relationship and what he and his ex did wrong in it. In some songs he feels confused on how it ended and what they could’ve done better but in others he feels it was mainly her fault for ending the relationship. The song “Love Again” has lyrics like “Tell me, how many more tears will drop?/ ‘Til you hit me with ‘can we talk?’/ And try love again.” But then a song like “The Line” has lyrics like “You’ve done things that I don’t like/ But you crossed the line this time/ Don’t say sorry, don’t apologize/ ‘Cause you crossed the line this time.” He doesn’t truly know if he wants to continue the relationship or stay far away from. 

The album then ends with the song “Kids are growing up.” It perfectly capsules what Laroi has gone through in his life from being a kid in Australia to having to grow up and face the real world at a young age. 

“The First Time” is a diverse project and different from any other album Laroi has released. He’s capable of making pop songs on the album while also switching it up and making rap songs. He plans on making a deluxe album later this year and adding songs he’s been teasing for months to be on it. The album is a 4.5/5 with a lot of songs that exceed expectations but with just a few that felt lacklustçster.