Ryan Beatty Showcases His Growth On Latest Album, ‘Sweet Fortune’
Few artists can understand the nuances of queer yearning and romance like Ryan Beatty. On his latest album, Sweet Fortune, he shows that he not only comprehends the idea but has lived it himself.
From the grand production to the introspective lyrics, Sweet Fortune is both a sonic departure for Beatty and a dose of familiarity that comforts more than it cuts.
Sweet Fortune was a quiet release for the singer-songwriter, with only one single, “Secret Language,” released prior to the album’s release. This departure from today’s standards of at least two singles, sometimes even three, was a breath of fresh air in a world where sometimes we hear nearly half the album before its release.
“Secret Language” captures the entire pathos of the album within its nearly four-minute runtime. The single is about love at its core and the things we want to say, but don’t. On it, Beatty sings, “Did you hear what my words couldn’t tell?” which is almost ironic coming from someone whose songs are often so apt at capturing emotions that we didn’t even know existed from deep within us.
On it, the tension of what has been left unsaid almost explodes into a cacophony of sound that acts as a moment of catharsis for the song. At the end, what must be said has a way of exploding out of us at the most inopportune times.
The album is full of these inhales of solitude and exhales of releasing the tension from your heart and allowing love to seep in. This is best shown on “Too Many Ways.”
On it, Beatty sings “I've got no time for anybody / I've got no time for any book.” Yet, he has a man across the country that visits when he can. This intimate song is heightened by surprise guest, Clairo, who harmonizes with Beatty in a heavenly way that is almost reminiscent of The Carpenters.
“I will say that one thing I’m really proud of is that there’s a lot of moments in this record where it’s not dressed up,” said Beatty in an interview with Zane Lowe. “It’s really just like bare. And like even a song like ‘Too Many Ways,’ it’s like I’m really just saying it.”
This intimate storytelling is apparent on “Delancey” where Beatty slows it down and recounts hookups where he’s left alone and dark after the act. In this song, he introduces a somber sounding saxophone that evokes images of the walk home after a hookup, where you get introspective and question everything.
“Feels like I’ve been here, or met you before, no / You’re just a shadow, a shape in the door/ Leavin’ me lonely, leavin’ me sore”
Beatty has long since captured the unique love that many queer people have felt. Filling the void of loneliness with casual sex that often leaves us feeling worse and more alone. He sings of how love is such a simple thing, yet it’s hard to find when too many queer people just want a no-strings-attached quick hookup.
This extends into “Dust,” where Beatty begins every verse with a contradiction; he’s indecisive like a speck of dust floating in the air.
The song itself is a contradiction to the rest of the album, where he tones down the production, with a soft guitar played by Clairo and the faintest hint of strings in the background.
He ends the song with a contradiction about his own lover. “It's all too much, it's not enough / It's gold, it's grain, it's dust, dust, dust,” Beatty sings in the outro. What are we left to believe? Is this a flow of a relationship? Starting as gold and ending as dust floating in the air.
However, on the final song, “Fleur De Lis,” Beatty ends on a triumphant note. On it, he tends his garden, pulling weeds so his flowers can grow.
“I throw seeds and reap what I sow / ‘Cause in the dirt, all my flowers will grow.”
“Fleur De Lis” is perhaps the entire thesis of the album, acknowledging the parts of us that are sucking the nutrients from our soil - the casual hookups and the things left unsaid - and planting the seeds of growth that allow us to live and thrive with greater strength than before.
Beatty’s Sweet Fortune is a must-listen for any queer yearners, those who may have had a more introspective June than they expected. Beatty’s masterful lyricism is on full display here as he presents his own growth to his audience.
You can listen to Sweet Fortune on your streaming platform of choice or purchase a physical copy at Beatty’s official website.
Beatty begins his “Arms Over Armor” tour in early September in Vancouver. You can purchase tickets to his tour here.