You may have first been introduced to Hayley Law back in 2017 via her role as Valerie in the first season of Riverdale, but Last Summer serves as something of a re-introduction. The record marks the Canadian actress and songwriter’s first musical release, as well as her first personal statement after inhabiting various roles in film and TV over the past decade—and these eight songs certainly are personal. Bouncing back and forth between sultry R&B, bass-rattling hip-hop, and guitar-forward pop-punk, the album maintains a tight focus on relationships past, present, and future as Law reflects on the highs and lows of long-term romances and flings alike.
Co-produced alongside Jesse Boykins III and MeLo-X—who, between the two, boast credits working with Steve Lacy, Beyoncé, and Isaiah Rashad—Last Summer serves the dual purpose of lighting up (and then cooling down) the dancefloor and providing an under-the-hood examination of modern romance. At a breezy 28 minutes, Law’s debut keeps the listener on their feet as the artist lets karma take the wheel one moment, and the “seductive power of femininity” the next.
With the record out now, stream along below (or here) while Law takes you track-by-track through each song’s lyrical themes.
1. “Last Summer”
This song was so much fun to write. It came from Jesse and I chatting about running into people from our past and how things change so quickly. “Last Summer” is a story of what appeared to be an amicable break up, and then I found out that my ex was bad-mouthing me. I never said anything to retaliate and let karma do her thing. This song is my karma.
2. “Baby Voice”
I actually had the title “Baby Voice” written in my notes on my phone for almost a year before it was written. I love that we (most of us) use our voice to get what we want in one way or another, whether it’s ordering a coffee or on a date with a hottie. Sometimes that shit works. It’s about celebrating the seductive power of femininity—the way sweetness, vulnerability, and charm can become their own kind of control.
3. “Circle Back”
Have you ever had a fling that just moves sooo fast? By the time you come up for air, you realize you’ve spent three days with the person and aren’t even sure you see it going anywhere. That’s “Circle Back.” I wear my heart on my sleeve and fall quickly, and this song is my reminder to check in with yourself. Not every fling turns into a relationship. And having two or three weeks of something hot is awesome.
4. “Like I Wanna”
“Like I Wanna” is the confession of falling for a friend, someone who’s in a toxic relationship, and a wish that I could step in and treat them right. The song is a collection of fantasies I wish I could’ve shared.
5. “WET WET”
I played a loop of, like, eight bars one day at Jesse’s studio and said, “I wanna shake ass to this”—the rest was history. We cranked it and just started yelling lyrics out until something stuck. Then Jesse said, “We gotta send this to MeLo,” and the song took a turn in a direction I didn’t even know was possible. MeLo gave “WET WET” a pulse and a thick ass. The process of creating this song is what music is about. The spoken little rap part at the end I wrote in the grocery store parking lot after talking to my friend about there being something so silly and sexy with boys you have no business spending any time with.
6. “The Best You’ll Never Have”
"The Best You’ll Never Have" is about the moment you stop trying to convince someone to choose you. It’s about realizing that your absence is the consequence they have to live with. For me, the song is less about revenge and more about self-worth—owning that sometimes walking away is the most powerful thing you can do.
7. “Tongue Tied”
“Tongue Tied” is the feeling of wanting someone so intensely it steals the air from your lungs. Being so captivated by someone that you lose your sense of control, your composure, even your ability to speak clearly. It’s funny, because it felt that way at the beginning of writing it. I didn’t know what I was trying to say and then it just started pouring out.
8. “My Design”
“My Design” is about grieving a version of someone that I created. This was the hardest and most therapeutic song I’ve ever written. The ache of falling in love with your own projection. "My Design" is the unraveling and the quiet delusion of romanticizing a person until the fantasy becomes more real than the relationship itself. At its core, it’s about realizing the heartbreak wasn’t just losing them, but losing the story you built around them.
