Destroy Lonely's </3³: A Broken Heart Homecoming

Destroy Lonely, the Opium underdog, dropped his latest mixtape "</3³" (pronounced "Broken Hearts 3" on September 19, 2025 via Opium/Interscope. Clocking in at 18 tracks and 51 minutes, it's the long-awaited third installment in his raw, heartbreak-fueled < /3 series—Lone's signature early mixtape vibes meets matured production. Only a Ken Carson feature this time around, with the rest of the tracks Lone moonwalking over moody, bass-heavy beats with introspective lyrics about love's wreckage and late-night vices. Standouts like "Jumanji," "Risk," "Party N Get High (Interlude)," and "Screwed Up" have fans replaying the project on loop, blending plugg trap haze with subtle rage energy.

The rollout was low-key but effective: snippets teased the return-to-form energy, followed by a stacked 2025 schedule including singles, an EP (see u soon </3), and this tape. Early streams are solid—5.2 million on Spotify Day 1—though it trails his 2024 debut LOVE LASTS FOREVER's 7.5M opener. Midweek projections peg first-week sales at 223K units, a win for the cult-favorite rapper.

What Fans Are Saying

The X (formerly Twitter) discourse is buzzing with relief and hype. Die-hards are treating this like a redemption arc: "Lone heard the washed allegations and put his entire juicy meat into this album" captures the sentiment of fans who felt burned by recent output. One user gushed, "Beautifully crafted masterpiece... wrapping up the Broken Hearts trilogy," while another called it "his best work yet" for blending old and new flows. User scores on Album of the Year are averaging a healthy 70-80/100, with praise for the "huge step up in mixing" and "varied production that actually slaps."

Not everyone's sold—some call it "hit or miss" (7/10) or "generic," with gripes about phoned-in vocals and filler tracks like "Open It Up." But the positives dominate: "Finally shutting the haters up" and "EASILY THE BEST DROP," especially from Opium loyalists comparing it favorably to labelmate Ken Carson's More Chaos. Release party clips of Lone performing "Syrup Sippin'" are going viral, too, amplifying the live energy.

How It Stacks Up To Recent Projects

Despite 200+ songs leaking in 2024, Lone has managed to remain strong and push through the chaos. This feels like a course correction after a rocky stretch. Lone's 2023 breakout If Looks Could Kill (ILCK) was a dark, cinematic triumph—influenced by horror flicks and alt-rock, it spawned hits like "If Looks Could Kill" and cemented his "Look Killa" persona. But 2024's LOVE LASTS FOREVER (LLF) divided the fanbase: features from Lil Uzi Vert and Ken Carson couldn't mask the "boring" and "Carti-clone" critiques, with uniform production and lackluster energy tanking its replay value for many. LLF grew on some as a moody slow-burn, but it left fans clamoring for the vulnerable, plugg-tinged sound of his early Broken Hearts tapes.

Enter < /3³: It's a direct callback to those origins—raw emotion, better transitions, and beats that "sound like they were made for only Lone himself." Unlike LLF's monotony, this has progression: modernized Broken Hearts with ILCK's polish, minus the over-reliance on gimmicks. RateYourMusic users note it's "the best from Opium this year" for its introspective depth, landing it above LLF but just shy of ILCK's highs. If you're new, start here—it's Lone at his most accessible yet evolved.

Overall, < /3³ is the reset button fans needed, proving Destroy Lonely's still got that vamp life. Stream it if you're into atmospheric trap with heart(break). What's your take—redemption or just another chapter?