unhappier

laye

A heart-wrenching, dark pop breakup anthem.

Canadian singer and songwriter Laye crafts attention-grabbing tunes you’ll want to hear on repeat. With a unique style that’s entirely her own, the singer combines “sultry, Alt-flavored pop” with intriguing aesthetics, creating music that’s truly unforgettable. Laye’s songs offer “brutally honest statements.” At the same time, she explores themes like “love and lust in the digital age,” as well as personal feelings. Some of her previous tunes include tracks like “touching myself,” “blue,” “tic tac toe,” and “I could die.” These songs, and more, are available on Spotify, YouTube, and SoundCloud. laye’s latest drop is the pop single “unhappier” and its accompanying official video.

Okay, so we all know the “emo” vibe from musicians that made their way into our hearts during the early 2000s. If you maintain the tone but switch the genre, you end up with this. “unhappier” creates the perfect somber-tinted soundscape for something so sorrowful and lonely that it leaves us heartbroken. Lyrics like “so how could you, how could you, go and fall for that, how could she, how could she compare to what we had” and “she’s petite and so sweet, worst of all, she’s not me” reflects on the heartache, pain, and jealousy that comes from seeing an ex move on without you. Despite the bad breakup, Laye’s longing energy makes me feel like I’ve gone back 20 years in music history. In the best way, of course. 

Give Laye’s “unhappier” a shot below.

Shari Hirsch

Chicago based writer and creative. Fan of 80’s horror, fancy coffee drinks, and late night drives.