The dark timbre of James Arthur’s voice suggests total emotional commitment, a grain of hard-won experience that casts a desperate shadow over the soul of his aspirational ‘10s pop. “Say You Won’t Let Go” and “Can I Be Him” are string-laden pounding romances that come on like last-ditch attempts to keep love alive, while the dark disco of “You Deserve Better” is drenched in lacerating self-pity. “Impossible” and “Empty Space” present heartbreak as a battle for validation, pitting his feral howl against churning strings and deep, brooding bass.