Lewis Capaldi Essentials

Amidst the hyper-paced world of late-2010s pop, an unassuming Scottish singer-songwriter introduced a voice imbued with soulful grit and heartache on his 2017 breakup ballad “Bruises” and 2018’s equally tear-jerking “Someone You Loved”. Confirming that those singles were no fluke, Lewis Capaldi’s 2019 debut album, Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, fleshed out his sound with lush orchestration and gospel gravitas but retained his fearless flair for emotional dredging. Capaldi proved no less forthcoming on 2023’s Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent, counterbalancing all his success with self-deprecating turns like “The Ancient Art of Always F*****g Up”. Though he declined to tour behind the album in order to improve his mental and physical health, that decisive step felt just as authentic as the doubt and passion he airs in his songs. On striking tracks such as “Love the Hell Out of You”, Capaldi provides a pure, unvarnished representation of pain and longing.