The Loveliest Time (2023)

"Once again Carly Rae Jepsen’s B-sides are just as good if not better than her A-sides. Where "The Loneliest Time" was steeped in personal loss and pandemic malaise, "The Loveliest Time" is strutting and extroverted, drunk off new love and bracingly direct about desire. “Kamikaze” and lead single “Shy Boy” are familiar offerings from Jepsen, slices of weapons-grade ’80s pop. "The Loveliest Time" also has fascinating detours. Opener “Anything To Be With You” rides a crisp go-go drumline shot through with electric guitar. “Psychedelic Switch” is a glorious surrender to sensation. The strangest song by far is “After Last Night,” a glitchy piece of Rostam-produced baroque aughts pop. Jepsen’s giddy uplift is bookended by pockets of angst on mid-tempo tracks like “Aeroplanes” and “Put It to Rest.". "The Loveliest Time" is a solid counterpart to its sister album, trading quiet, introspective power for brassy, headlong joy." (Pitchfork)