L.A.X has always been bullish on romance. His 2013 breakout single “Caro,” with Wizkid, was a declaration of his quest for love. Thirteen years later, the singer would tie the knot with long-term girlfriend Emmanuella in a multipart ceremony, an act that inspired the direction of his fifth album, The Only Lover Boy Left (TOLBL). From the start, we hear the singer and MC in a deep state of romantic nirvana. He’s waxing lyrical about the effect his lover has on him on “Morenike,” before promising a trip to “Saint Tropez.” The allusions to the interconnectedness of love and luxury reach a crescendo on “MAGAA,” where street-pop star Tml Vibez joins him to put on a storytelling master class. Something about love unlocks a dynamism in L.A.X’s work, and there’s proof aplenty of that on The Only Lover Boy Left (TOLBL). Alternative singer DOTTi The Deity is the perfect partner for guitar-led ballad “IYAWO,” the singers going back and forth in Yoruba, English, and Pidgin. There is an indie-soul essence framing the 3-step instrumental of “Arewa.” Here, L.A.X makes it clear his lover will always be his priority, even namechecking her on the closer, “FINE WINE.”