Spiral is one of the more thematically cohesive albums in recent memory. The songs exist in conversation with one another, reflecting the cycles of love and life in different measures and from multiple perspectives.
By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
Tim Lyre (born Timothy Oyesanya) has quietly risen to become a key voice in Nigeria’s Alté renaissance. Rooted in Gospel and Highlife from childhood, he honed his musicality early, learning piano and theory by the age of 10. While studying law at the University of Reading, he found himself playing live sets almost every night.
It was during one of those many nights that a promoter compared him to the lyrebird, a creature known for its ability to mimic any sound it hears. The name stuck, and as his artistry matured, so did the uncanny accuracy of the metaphor. Tim Lyre became a vessel for genre synthesis, an artist who could shapeshift without losing his essence.
After earning a law degree in 2016, he chose artistry over advocacy and joined the Chop Life Crew alongside the likes of MOJO AF and Ronehi. His early EPs like 2020’s Senpai and K.A.P., and 2022 album, Worry<, showcased his smooth blend of Neo-soul, Afrobeats, Jazz, and R&B, and set the stage for ambitious collaborations. Across that period, Tim Lyre released several acclaimed singles, featuring on tracks with prominent voices like Tay Iwar and Prettyboy D-O, and earning recognition for his emotive production and songwriting depth. Now signed with the Johannesburg–London imprint Outer South, Tim Lyre has released his sophomore full-length, Spiral, a 16-track exploration of emotional turbulence, resilience, and musical freedom.
“Miles” opens Spiral with an off-kilter bounce, built on stuttering hi-hats and staggered drums that create an unsettled rhythm beneath dreamy electric piano chords. Guitars weave through the mix in accents, while a spoken sample introduces themes of space travel. The tone is one of resilience and self-assurance, with Tim Lyre opening Spiral by declaring, “I never not bounce back from a loss/ I’m proud and I’m very pompous…And I know that the maker must love me/ Cuz the pain won’t throw me off course”.
Moelogo’s feature arrives like a drift through clouds, his abstract chorus floating with poetic ease as the track draws a line between space travel and inner journey. The title “Miles” evokes both the literal passage of time and distance as well as a nod to Miles Morales. The outro floats away on an archival sample discussing rocketships, closing the loop on the interstellar mood.
“Rocketship” descends into a darker headspace, led by rattling shakers, triplet Afrobeats percussion, and sparkling layered synth melodies. Thick 808s and a sombre chord progression establish a moody, melancholic sonic palette.
Tim Lyre’s vocals arrive plaintive and worn, almost pleading in tone. The song captures the desperation to escape pain and anxiety, leaning into the temporary high of substances as his chosen vessel. “I don’t want you to see me downcast/ Even though you left me down bad/ And I’ve been dealing with anxiety/ I’ve thrown away my sobriety/ I’m running out of sativa.” The rocketship is metaphorical, not for exploration but for evasion, as Tim sings from the weight of emotional turbulence and emotional numbness.
“Glorybound” flips the energy, returning to sparse, low-fidelity Jazzy piano chords and swinging Afrobeats drums layered under warm electric guitars and punchy 808s. Tim Lyre fully leans into rap with a light, conversational cadence that stretches into melodic runs. DAP The Contract joins, showing off a more tender, sung side before punctuating his verse with a closing rap segment.
Both artistes revel in the sense of romantic destiny, casting their love as a transcendent journey. “You too believe me/ No matter the tension, you too relieve me/ So, you know I’m gonna be there when you need me/ I think you see me differently/ So, I’m not gonna let you down/ And we’re gonna leave this lonely town/ And I can’t help but feel we’re glorybound.” It’s a hopeful and heartening ode to unwavering support and forward momentum.
“Losing My Mind” slows the pace into a smooth R&B saunter, with old-school textures pouring from the talkbox-filtered vocals, wah-pedalled guitars, and clean chord progressions. The instrumental is rich with air and warmth, giving Binta’s dulcet vocals room to bloom.
Her delivery is slow, sultry, and aching with longing. Tim Lyre joins her in gentle harmonies that melt into the track’s emotional centre, singing, “Can we rewind / I’m losing my mind, because of you/ I don’t know why you choose to keep on/ Blocking my line/ Maybe this time, you’ll give me a chance”. It’s a sorrowful duet aching for a chance to restart a love that dissolved too soon.
“Storytime” snaps back into motion with tambourines, rattling shakers, and syncopated drums laced over a bed of reversed pianos. The beat is buoyant, but the story it carries is heavy. Tim plays narrator, delivering a vivid chronicle of a love’s collapse through pointed storytelling and believable emotional delivery.
Opening in Yoruba, he paints a scene with introspective clarity: “Back then, when you were working the late shift/ Something was off, I knew the loving was makeshift/ I’m peaking you faked it/ It made me feel heavy baby, you feel like a weight lift/ Tell me what’s the point when we fuss and we fight”. The duet with BINA. stages a final conversation between two lovers calling it quits. Tim Lyre’s pen is sharp and vulnerable, and the chorus wraps it all in one last mournful question mark.
“Ski” bridges the heartbreak of goodbye with the exhilaration of recovery in a single breath. It opens like a classic breakup ballad, piano-backed and drenched in vocal harmonies, as Tim sings out, “And if this is goodbye/ I hope the good lingers on in your mind/ And I may be certain that the time will pass by/ Thought you’d always remain by my side”.
The emotional weight is heavy, but the mood lifts with a four-count drop into Afro-Dancehall rhythms and bouncing guitars that signal bounce back and personal renewal. The contrast captures both the ache of departure and the freedom that follows, ending in a wash of reversed vocals and airy textures that wave the listener forward.
“Villagio” brings hard-hitting drums and sizzling hi-hats with looped piano stabs that pull Tim fully into rap mode. His cadence shifts between slick punchlines and laid-back charisma as he narrates hedonistic escapades in Ghana’s capital. “Tell me she like to ski/ Set up the yard like a candy store, Far as the eye can see / Tell me the taste you’re longing for/ She told me baby I like it raw/ I got to singing like ODB, bo simi ya, What you waiting for”. The energy is maximal, the bars witty and wild. MOJO AF brings a high-voltage feature with a punchy verse of his own, pushing the track to a higher gear before a sped-up Afrobeats-leaning outro takes it out in a frenzy.
“NYE (Everywhere)” returns to introspection, pairing low-fidelity pianos with Boom-Bap drums and subtle trumpet accents. Tim Lyre raps about his grind and ascension with poetic precision and grace. “I know they heard I was the greatest, But they want me to prove it/ They probably prayed I would lose it/ But then I levelled up/ My mother gave me some prayers to ward the devil off”.
Joyce Olong’s ethereal vocal tones wrap around the chorus like a breath of reassurance, adding lift and optimism to Tim’s reflective bars. The result is a track that feels like a quiet victory lap, celebrating perseverance with calm confidence.
“Pot of Gold” opens Side B with optimistic clarity. Producer DaRe assembles a bed of rattling shakers, clacking percussions, and rolling toms over smooth electric piano chords and thumping drums to build an energetic, soulful backdrop. The arrangement exudes drive and forward motion, perfectly fitting the song’s motivational arc as Tim sings about breakthrough moments and upward momentum.
“OMD” is built on rumbling basslines and riffing rhythm guitars, underpinned by Dance-adjacent Afrobeats drums that drive the track forward. The spotlight shifts to newcomer Nora, whose angelic tone and slinking melodies own the chorus with a kind of breathless sincerity.
Her drawn-out phrasings hover above the groove with longing. Tim Lyre balances her softness with a low, baritone perspective, delivering his lines in a staccato half-rapped style that adds grounding weight to their back-and-forth. The contrast becomes its own harmony as their voices circle each other in measured yearning.
“Lock In” takes the energy up several notches with Yoruba-fueled swagger. Riding an Amapiano beat that bumps with log drums and punchy percussion, Boj and Tim trade playful boasts and sultry metaphors. They focus on their prowess and victories in the bedroom without veering into overt raunch.
“Economy” shifts mood entirely as it leans into sociopolitical consciousness, rooted in the laidback feel of Palmwine music. The percussion is organic and unhurried, with shakers, clacks, and bongos laid over lightly strumming guitars before the drums gently kick in. Tim Lyre opens with melodic laments about financial struggle and societal pressure. His vocals are gentle and world-weary, gliding through a theme that is both personal and national.
The baton is then passed to Palmwine pioneers, Show Dem Camp, who bring urgency to the track with incisive bars and vivid narratives. “You see, the city of nonstop grind is forever hot/ One golden rule, every man na potention opps/ My guy wan do JV, see as dem set am up/ The learner still dey calculate money wey never drop”. Their verses land like hard truths. Despite the grim subject matter, the track holds a note of hope as warm group vocals rise in the outro, cushioning the realism in human connection.
“Better 4 U” moves us back to romance, this time through acts of service and quiet devotion. Over percussion-driven Afrofusion drums, with hard-hitting kicks and a subterranean sub-bass pulse, South African singer Manana joins Tim Lyre to offer reassurance and presence. The production is lush yet patient, and Manana’s vocals arrive with delicate softness that melts into the beat. His harmonies wrap around Tim’s grittier tone to create a warm duality, resulting in a tender affirmation of care and commitment.
“Find You” is a deep emotional plunge, channelling vulnerability through simplicity. Tim Lyre’s voice trembles with aching sincerity as he delivers some of the most intimate lyrics on Spiral. The instrumental is sparse, carried by dreamy, reverbed guitars, steady sub-bass, and light Afrobeats percussion. The production never overshadows the sentiment. Instead, it opens space for the emotion to expand, creating a feeling of suspended vulnerability.
“Popstar” pivots into a completely different register. Built around sparkling vocal pads and heavy 808 Hip-Hop drums, the song casts Tim in a more jaded light. His delivery is almost cold, and full of disdain as he addresses a woman who seems to live for attention and chaos. The dispassion in his tone matches the disillusionment in the lyrics. He even briefly addresses one of her other men to de-escalate drama, revealing that he has no interest in playing games. The track feels emotionally removed yet artistically potent.
“Way/2/Me” closes Spiral with a thematic full circle. It opens with a rocket launch countdown and blast-off sample, tying back to the project’s space metaphors and its central theme of motion. Grungy distorted guitars lead the arrangement, infusing it with an alternative rock texture that is new terrain for Tim. The song itself is a grunge-tinged acoustic ballad, deeply intimate in lyrics and drenched in effects that make the vocals feel almost astral.
Spiral is one of the more thematically cohesive albums in recent memory. The songs exist in conversation with one another, reflecting the cycles of love and life in different measures and from multiple perspectives. This is felt not only in the content of each track, but also in their sequencing, which creates a compelling emotional arc through contrast and complement.
Tim Lyre threads vulnerability and bravado, joy and uncertainty, into a cohesive arc that mirrors lived experience. A track like “Find You” offers aching emotional honesty, while “OMD” and “Better 4 U” shift the lens to affection and romantic devotion. “Popstar” and “Lock In” reveal opposite sides of desire—one disillusioned, the other boastful—while “Economy” expands the narrative to societal pressure, contrasting with the hopeful thrust of “Pot of Gold”. Every turn feels intentional: the songs don’t exist in silos, but in dialogue, constantly folding into and against each other to complete a full spectrum of feeling.
The storytelling focus leans heavily on the songwriting, and this proves to be Tim’s greatest weapon. Whether he’s simply narrating a story, embodying a character, being reflective and profound, or rapping with unshakable confidence, his lyricism remains consistently sharp, intelligent, and honest. He avoids tired clichés and cuts straight to the core with poignant lines and clever metaphors. Even the featured rappers are locked in, delivering standout performances on verses that Tim smartly tailors to their individual strengths.
The featured singers, meanwhile, hold their own lyrically but especially shine vocally. Tim is no slouch himself. His vocal range and the grit in his timbre allow for emotive, textured delivery, but it’s usually the flexibility of his delivery that stands out.
He can switch up flow, reposition rhymes, and alter cadence whether singing or rapping, darting in and out of melodic patterns, keeping every moment fresh. So the singers, in turn, play the foil and bring contrast with largely higher tones, stronger melodic focus, and buttery smoothness, complementing Tim’s performances and thus enhancing the dynamics of the tracks they’re on.
Behind all this is the production, handled largely by Tim Lyre himself, fellow Chop Life Crew affiliate Ronehi, and new collaborator KC Freely. The beats are as varied as the storytelling, showing an understanding of tone, texture, and emotion that anchors the Spiral.
From the restraint of the ballads to the propulsion of the electronic moments, the production becomes Tim Lyre’s closest ally in shaping Spiral’s arc. The engineering is equally impressive, maintaining clarity and preserving the raw edges of Tim’s delivery even in densely layered sections. No frequency, backing vocal, or ambient layer is out of place, and the creative effects used throughout always serve the song’s emotional goals.
Putting it all together, Spiral hits the listener exactly the way its creator intended. It’s a journey through life and love, told through a broad set of musical paintbrushes that contribute different strokes, textures, and colours to a final artwork that is cohesive, affecting, and immersive.
It’s a record that opens new perspectives and offers new angles over time, making it as replayable for its overarching narrative as for the catchiness and power of its individual songs. Tim Lyre exudes versatility, confidence, and a deep understanding of his artistry, while ending the album by hinting at a new direction entirely. With Spiral, he cements himself as one of the most adaptable and exciting artists in his lane, and from here, there’s no telling just how far he’ll go.
Lyricism – 1.7
Tracklisting – 1.6
Sound Engineering – 1.6
Vocalisation – 1.5
Listening Experience – 1.6
Rating – 8.0/10
Yinoluwa “Yinoluu” Olowofoyeku is a multi-disciplinary artist and creative who finds expression in various media. His music can be found across all platforms and he welcomes interaction on his social media @Yinoluu.