Left-Blank returns with surprise independent album ‘I’m STILL HAVing a good TIME!’, a homemade coming-of-age record for those feeling the push and pull of expectation in their late twenties.
After a year of complete silence online, independent UK artist Left-Blank returned with the surprise release of his latest album, I’m STILL HAVing a good TIME! A decade into his career, the self-made project captures the push and pull of the late twenties age, the point where friends, family and society begin expecting the next milestone long before you’re sure you’re ready for it.
Recorded entirely in a guest bedroom in Leeds, the album is proudly described as “a homemade album.” Every vocal was recorded at home, while Left-Blank mixed and mastered the project himself. It is a labour of love built around authenticity rather than perfection.
The record marks the natural destination of a musical journey that has taken Left-Blank through grime, boom bap, trap and RnB over the last ten years. As his own life has changed, so has his music. Influenced by the production of Pharrell, Timbaland, Q-Tip, early Kanye and N.E.R.D., alongside the honest songwriting of artists such as Loyle Carner, Kojaque and Saba, I’m STILL HAVing a good TIME! settles into a softer blend of hip-hop and R&B without losing the playful energy that has always defined Left-Blank’s work.
The album title carries two meanings. On the surface it declares, “I’m STILL HAVing a good TIME!” Hidden within the unusual capitalisation is another phrase, “I still hav time” Together they represent the two competing thoughts at the heart of the record. Life is good exactly as it is, but time continues to move forward.
That idea came into focus while writing “NOT TOO LONG!”, a song about the often unspoken pressure couples experience around starting a family. It became the moment Left-Blank realised he was no longer making individual songs; he was making an album.
Across eleven tracks in a tightly-crafted and purposeful 34 minutes, ordinary moments become the starting point for much bigger conversations. “THROES!” explores recognising toxic behaviours inherited from previous generations while struggling to stop repeating them. “THE BENCH!” reflects on the opportunities we almost miss, using the story of nearly never meeting his wife to examine the fear of choosing the wrong path through adulthood. “STAMP!”, the album’s standout track, looks back at the reckless teenager he once was before celebrating the man he has become through a playful, infectious snapshot of growing up.
Rather than offering answers, the album simply documents a chapter of life. It acknowledges the privilege of being able to choose your own future while recognising the quiet pressure that often comes with that freedom.
“This album needed to exist purely from a selfish perspective of understanding this phase in my life. I know so many other people my age are in exactly the same boat, feeling the push and pull of expectations to live life in a certain order when they just don’t feel ready. Some people give in before it’s right for them, while others worry they’ll leave it too late. It’s scary, but it’s also a privilege to have that choice in your own hands with people who love you enough to want those things for you. That’s the contradiction this album lives in.”
Throughout the record, small details reinforce the central idea. The classic Microsoft Sam text-to-speech voice appears in different forms across the album, chopped and rearranged to create recurring phrases that subtly tie the songs together. Every track title is written in capitals and finished with an exclamation mark, reflecting the feeling of being rushed that sits beneath the project’s warm playfulness. The sequencing was also carefully considered. The first song written became the closing track, allowing the album to finish with hope rather than uncertainty.
Following previous support from BBC Radio, festival performances, back-to-back victories at
Newcastle’s Rap Nights live competitions and playlist success with the single “Mr Tough Guy,” I’m STILL HAVing a good TIME! represents Left-Blank’s most complete and confident body of work to date.
The album is available now on all major streaming platforms. Performance videos for “THROES!” and “NOT TOO LONG!”, both filmed at home to continue the album’s homemade ethos, are available now.
About Left-Blank
Originally from Merseyside and now based in Leeds, Left-Blank has spent the past decade developing a sound that has gradually become unmistakably his own. Inspired to start making music by his older brother, producer and rapper Jake Rosh, he has remained committed to a self-sufficient approach throughout his career. His songs find meaning in ordinary moments, balancing humour, self-awareness and honesty without ever pretending to have life figured out.
Instagram: @leftblankraps
Photographs provided by Left-Blank.
