Small Town Boy
Duncan Laurence · 2020
41 min · 12 tracks · pop music
Intimate pop melodies intertwine with poignant lyrics, reflecting vulnerability and emotional depth throughout the album.
Top tracks — play these first
-
→
Arcade — This track serves as both the album’s emotional centerpiece and its breakout hit, encapsulating themes of heartbreak and longing through haunting melodies.
-
→
Beautiful — Opening the album, this track introduces listeners to Laurence's intimate songwriting style and showcases his vocal prowess with its vulnerable lyrics.
-
→
Loves You Like I Couldn’t Do — This song highlights Laurence's ability to blend relatable storytelling with catchy pop hooks, making it a standout track that resonates with listeners’ experiences.
-
→
Between Good and Goodbye — The track captures the complexity of ending relationships, showcasing Laurence’s lyrical depth alongside a captivating arrangement that enhances its emotional weight.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album features intimate melodies and poignant lyrics, creating a strong emotional connection but lacks some cohesion in pacing.
What we noticed
- The album opens with a soft piano melody in 'Beautiful' that sets an intimate tone, which is maintained through the first half of the record.
- Each track features layered vocal harmonies, often building to a powerful emotional climax before resolving back to softer instrumentation.
- Composition 25% of the score
-
7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
-
6/10
- Durability 25% of the score
-
6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
-
6/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
-
5/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- steady emotional journeys
- introspective late-night reflections
- immersive storytelling experiences
- gentle melodic explorations
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Released on November 13, 2020, 'Small Town Boy' is Duncan Laurence's debut studio album following his victory at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019. This album marks a significant moment in his career as it transitions him from a rising artist into a more established figure in the pop music scene.
- Stylistic neighbors
- James Arthur· Lewis Capaldi· Ed Sheeran
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Beautiful 4:17
- 2 Yet 3:03
- 3 Between Good and Goodbye 4:17
- 4 Loves You Like I Couldn’t Do 3:49
- 5 Sleeping on the Phone 3:09
- 6 Arcade 3:05
- 7 Figure It Out 2:53
- 8 Last Night 2:54
- 9 Someone Else 3:04
- 10 Love Don’t Hate It 2:53
- 11 Umbrella 5:08
- 12 Feel Something 2:37
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
Sync your library
Everything you track here works immediately — no account needed. Create one when you want to sync across devices.