Live Laugh Love (Earl Sweatshirt album)

Last updated
Live Laugh Love
Earl Sweatshirt Live Laugh Love.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 22, 2025 (2025-08-22)
Genre Hip-hop
Length24:08
Label
Producer
Earl Sweatshirt chronology
Voir Dire
(2023)
Live Laugh Love
(2025)

Live Laugh Love is the fifth studio album by the American rapper Earl Sweatshirt. With little prior announcement, it was released on August 22, 2025, through Tan Cressida Records and Warner Records. [1] It follows his collaborative album with the Alchemist, Voir Dire (2023), and his fourth studio album Sick! (2022). [2] Production was primarily handled by Theravada, with additional contributions by Black Noise, Child Actor, Navy Blue, and Earl himself.

Contents

Release and promotion

I think it captured both parts of myself: being 16 and then also having a family. The 16-year-old that still is like, [grunts] "live, laugh, love — [expletive] dumbass!" Like, "live laugh, love, the world is [expletive]!" And then my life changing drastically. [...] If someone says "live, laugh, love" and you have kids, you’re like, "Exactly, brother."

Earl Sweatshirt,interview for The New York Times'Popcast, August 22, 2025 [3]

Live Laugh Love was announced at a listening party on August 15, 2025. [4] [5] The event, which Sweatshirt did not himself attend, included live performances from an Earl Sweatshirt imposter and a DJ set by Black Noise that included songs from the album. [6] The album released on all platforms one week later.

A music video for "Crisco" was released on August 28, 2025. [7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.9/10 [8]
Metacritic 85/100 [9]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash 8/10 [10]
Consequence B [11]
Exclaim! 9/10 [12]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Pitchfork 8.5/10 [14]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Live Laugh Love received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 from nine critic scores. [9] Clash called the album "impeccably detailed.. Live Laugh Live' is a rap Escher diagram, a Greek maze with MC as Minotaur; it extends Earl’s world, and invites you forward with every step". [10] The Guardian said "the disorientating shifts and non-sequiturs feel like observing a dream someone else is having". [13]

Track listing

Credits adapted from Tidal. [17]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."GSW vs Sac"
Theravada1:56
2."Forge"
  • Kgositsile
  • Yialias
Theravada1:24
3."Infatuation"
  • Kgositsile
  • Yialias
Theravada1:35
4."Gamma (Need the <3)"
  • Kgositsile
  • Yialias
Theravada2:01
5."Well Done!"
Navy Blue 1:11
6."Live"
Black Noise 2:30
7."Static"
  • Kgositsile
  • Mansel
Black Noise1:23
8."Crisco"
  • Kgositsile
  • Elsesser
Navy Blue2:39
9."Tourmaline"
  • Kgositsile
  • Yialias
Theravada2:54
10."Heavy Metal AKA Ejecto Seato!"
Child Actor 3:07
11."Exhaust"
  • Kgositsile
  • Elsesser
2:29
Total length:24:08

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. [17]

Charts

Chart performance for Live Laugh Love
Chart (2025)Peak
position
Portuguese Albums (AFP) [18] 156
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [19] 80
US Billboard 200 [20] 184

Release history

Release formats for Live Laugh Love
RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
VariousAugust 22, 2025
[21]

References

  1. "Earl Sweatshirt Releases Surprise Album 'Live Laugh Love'". Rolling Stone .
  2. "Earl Sweatshirt Announces Release Date & Track List for 'Live Laugh Love' Album". Billboard .
  3. "Earl Sweatshirt Turned the Hype Down. Now He Can 'Live, Laugh, Love.'". 2025-08-22. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  4. "Earl Sweatshirt Reveals New Album 'Live Laugh Love' At LA Listening Party". Stereogum. August 18, 2025. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  5. "Earl Sweatshirt Returns With 'Live Laugh Love' Album". Complex. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  6. Powell, Jon. "Earl Sweatshirt Announces 'Live Laugh Love' Album Release Date In Humorous Fashion". Rap-Up. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  7. Strauss, Matthew (2025-08-28). "Earl Sweatshirt Hangs With His Imposter in New "Crisco" Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  8. "Live Laugh Love by Earl Sweatshirt reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Live Laugh Love by Earl Sweatshirt Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 23, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Murray, Robin (August 22, 2025). "Earl Sweatshirt – Live Laugh Love | Reviews". Clash . Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  11. Fitzgerald, Kiana (August 22, 2025). "Earl Sweatshirt Is Finally Ready to Live Laugh Love: Review". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  12. Mclean, Wesley (August 27, 2025). "Earl Sweatshirt Is Dead Serious About Optimism on 'Live Laugh Love'". Exclaim! . Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  13. 1 2 Petridis, Alexis (August 22, 2025). "Earl Sweatshirt: Live Laugh Love review – a head-spinning trip with rap's great rulebreaker". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  14. Pierre, Alphonse (August 28, 2025). "Earl Sweatshirt: Live Laugh Love Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  15. Gee, Andre (August 29, 2025). "Earl Sweatshirt's Rap Mastery — And Optimism — Is Nothing New". Rolling Stone . Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  16. Diianni, Jackson (August 24, 2025). "Earl Sweatshirt 'Live Laugh Love' Review: Keep Calm and Carry On". Slant Magazine . Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  17. 1 2 Earl Sweatshirt - Live Laugh Love , retrieved August 22, 2025
  18. "Top 200 Álbuns Semana 35 de 2025" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 3. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  19. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  20. "Earl Sweatshirt Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  21. "Live Laugh Love by Earl Sweatshirt on Apple Music". Apple Music . 2025-08-22. Archived from the original on August 22, 2025. Retrieved 2025-08-31.