For much of Sam Smith’s career, love has sounded painful.
Heartbreak, longing, loneliness, and unrequited affection helped make Smith one of their generation’s most recognizable voices. Then came Gloria, a louder and more provocative declaration of freedom that produced the massive, unexpected success of “Unholy.”
On Hazel Eyes, Smith changes direction once again, but this time the transformation is much quieter.
Smith is in love, and they want us to know it.
Inspired by their relationship with designer Christian Cowan, Hazel Eyes unfolds as a love story that moves through infatuation, devotion, conflict, betrayal, forgiveness, and the realization that lasting love does not have to mean perfect love.
It is a fitting subject for an artist whose catalog has spent so much time searching for exactly that.
Musically, the change is immediately apparent. Hazel Eyes largely trades the polished pop production of Smith’s previous work for something warmer and more organic.
Soul, jazz, blues, folk, gospel, and touches of doo-wop are woven throughout the album, with acoustic instrumentation, horns, strings, choirs, and live drums providing much of its foundation.
The result feels less concerned with producing the next obvious Sam Smith single and more interested in creating a cohesive body of work.
“Everlasting Love” opens the album beautifully, immediately introducing its romantic tone with acoustic guitar and sweeping strings. From there, Hazel Eyes settles into its vintage-inspired world.
The title track is one of the clearest examples of why this approach works so well. Smith does not need to overpower the arrangement. Their voice glides alongside the strings and harmonies, allowing the emotion to come through without turning every moment into a vocal showcase.
That restraint might actually be one of the album’s biggest surprises.
Smith has always possessed the kind of voice capable of turning nearly any song into a grand event. Here, they frequently resist that temptation. Their vocals remain the centerpiece, but the quieter production gives them space to croon, whisper, soar, and occasionally explode.
And when the album does explode, it earns it.
“Oh Mother” is one of the record’s biggest swings, bringing gospel influences fully to the forefront with handclaps, piano, call-and-response vocals, and the 28-member TwoCity Chorus.
It provides a welcome burst of theatricality on an album that otherwise spends much of its runtime in a more intimate space.
“Moondance” is another standout. Featuring Feist as a co-writer and backing vocalist, the track has a slightly stranger edge than much of the surrounding material, with guitar and layered vocals creating one of the album’s most distinctive arrangements.
“My Guy” and the darker “Thief” also help reveal different sides of the relationship at the center of the record, keeping Hazel Eyes from becoming 12 uninterrupted declarations of romantic bliss.
That distinction matters because Hazel Eyes is at its best when the romance gets complicated.
The album begins in the glow of finding someone and gradually allows uncertainty and conflict to creep into the picture. By its final stretch, Smith is no longer singing about some idealized version of forever.
“To Be Free” closes the record after that journey through the realities of commitment, giving the album a satisfying sense of progression rather than simply ending with another love song.
Still, the consistency that makes Hazel Eyes feel so cohesive occasionally works against it.
The subdued arrangements can begin to blend together, particularly when listening straight through. There are moments where another unexpected production choice or tempo change would have helped break up the album’s softer stretches.
The lyricism can also lean heavily on broad ideas about love, freedom, nature, rivers, oceans, and other familiar romantic imagery when the more specific moments tend to say much more.
Those shortcomings keep Hazel Eyes from reaching five-star territory, but they do little to diminish how refreshing the project feels within Smith’s discography.
After the enormous pop moment of “Unholy,” Smith could have easily chased another. Instead, Hazel Eyes moves in almost the opposite direction. There are no obvious attempts to manufacture a viral moment or force a dance-floor anthem into the tracklist.
The acoustic-heavy arrangements even mark a dramatic departure from Gloria.
That freedom suits them.
Hazel Eyes may not contain the immediate pop fireworks listeners have come to expect from Sam Smith, but that increasingly feels like the point. This is an artist allowing their voice, musicianship, and personal life to guide the record instead of the expectations surrounding their career.
For someone who became famous singing about desperately wanting love, there is something satisfying about hearing Sam Smith finally make an album about what happens after you find it.
What’s your favorite track on Hazel Eyes? Let us know in the comments!
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Tim H
Tim is a creator and creative with a deep passion for TV, movies, music and pop culture. With a sharp eye for storytelling and a love for all things on screen, he brings entertaining, thoughtful, and often hilarious commentary to his growing community. Whether he’s breaking down a plot twist, highlighting overlooked characters, or sharing his unfiltered reactions, Tim makes screen time feel like a conversation with your favorite binge-watching bestie. In addition to being a creator, Tim co-hosts a podcast called Rated T&T where he dives even deeper into fandom, music, and media alongside his co-host, delivering hot takes, deep dives, and lively fan-focused discussions and interviews that feel like a group chat brought to life! Streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, iHeartRadio and YouTube! Follow along: TikTok & IG (Tim): @casualfandomwithtim | TikTok & IG (Rated T&T): @ratedtandtpodcast