Algee Smith may be best known for his roles in Euphoria, The Hate U Give, and Judas and the Black Messiah, but now he’s stepping from the silver screen into a sonic confessional booth with his latest EP, Love Lost, dropping July 15th. And trust, this isn’t just another R&B drop to fill a playlist. It’s a layered, emotionally intelligent ride through heartbreak, growth, and the spiritual maturity that comes with letting go of something that was once everything.
“Love Lost is emotionally rich,” Smith confesses. “It’s me putting my heart on the table.” But this isn’t just about catharsis—it’s about giving the world a soundtrack to male vulnerability, a space where men can be soft, confused, angry, and still evolving.
A Sonic Diary of a Heartbreaking Chapter
At its core, Love Lost is a curated diary disguised as a 7-track EP. It doesn’t scatter emotions randomly like broken glass. It stitches them together in a narrative that moves from denial, to regret, to release. It includes three to four skits, once full songs, now interludes, that guide the listener through the phases of a breakup that Smith says men often don’t talk about enough.
This isn’t just “sad boy” music. It’s grown man healing.
“I wanted it to feel like a story, not just tracks thrown together,” says Smith. “There’s growth in the project because that’s what real heartbreak teaches you if you listen, how to grow from it.”
Soundtrack to Self-Discovery
Sonically, Love Lost doesn’t color inside the lines. It’s primarily R&B, dipped in soul, kissed by hip-hop. Think Bryson Tiller meets D’Angelo with a little ATL strip club elegance on the side.
Smith’s roots as a poet bleed into his songwriting. “Before acting, I was writing poetry,” he recalls. “If you’re a rapper or a singer, that’s poetry too. It comes from the root of expression.” That literary approach elevates the lyricism beyond recycled love tropes. He’s lived these verses, and you can feel it.
Producers like Chris Rick Tines (of SZA fame), Charlie Heat (Bryson Tiller), and Cameron Glasper (platinum pens galore) shape the project’s lush soundscape. While not recorded with live instruments, Smith assures us, “The rooms were curated in a special way.”
Top Tracks with Purpose
Three standouts anchor Love Lost:
“Magic City” is Smith’s homage to Atlanta—smooth, sexy, and soaked in southern soul. It’s less about pole vibes and more about homegrown nostalgia.
“The Way It Goes” carries the emotional weight of the project. Stripped down with just acoustic guitar, it’s a raw meditation on why even love that fits can’t always last.
“Departed” brings the bounce. It’s club-ready with a purpose, wrapping Smith’s reflections in something danceable.
And for the detail hunters: Smith cleverly drops the length of his past relationship as an Easter egg somewhere in the lyrics.
Art > Algorithm
In an era where AI threatens to ghostwrite the soul out of art, Smith is still betting on the divine. “There’s a beauty in not knowing and pulling from thin air. That’s when God is in the room,” he says. He’s not against tech, just against losing the spirit of creation to it. “AI can’t touch the God-given thoughts in your mind,” he reminds aspiring artists.
His advice in the age of algorithms? “Work it. Don’t let it work you. Stay authentic. Stay grounded in your story.”
A Story That Needed to Be Told
Smith’s purpose for this project wasn’t fame or even therapy—it was clarity. “This is not just another project. There was intention behind it from the jump,” he emphasizes. “I wanted to help people understand how we as men deal with breakups—how we hold on, how we let go, and what it looks like to grow from it.”
So whether you’ve been left on read, left out in the cold, or just left wondering what happened to your last “forever,” Love Lost isn’t just for listening—it’s for healing.
Algee Smith is inviting us into a sacred space—and he’s doing it with bass, bars, and Black boy truth.
Follow @itsalgee on all platforms and stream Love Lost July 15th on all major platforms.
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