Singled Out: Your ex and I's Heartbreaker By Design

Keavin Wiggins | 04-02-2023

Single art

Montreal rockers Your ex and I recently shared a lyric video for their "Heartbreaker By Design", a single from their "YXNI" EP. To celebrate we asked them to tell us about the track. Here is the story:

"Heartbreaker by Design" is our most raw and vulnerable track on the EP. It was the first tune we ever wrote, and was very much a way to cope with the end of a 2 year traumatic relationship. Our lead singer was with a girl that was leading a double life, living with him while slipping away and still dating her ex during so-called business trips and therapy sessions. When questions were raised, she faked receipts, emails, notes, texts and even a fake online phone number to try and get away with it all. After she thought that she'd gotten rid of all evidence, she demanded he look at her phone to prove she wasn't lying. No one ever thinks of clearing their sent emails, though...

Although the song has a somber back story, we were really inspired by the sounds of AM-era Arctic Monkeys. We thought that a sleazy, seductive tone would lend itself to understand why you might look the other way and ignore signs of infidelity in order to stay "happy". The opening drum pattern is very much inspired by Ringo Starr's early Beatles melodic drum lines. We feel that drums play just as important a role in melody as a guitar riff or vocal line. When writing the lyrics, we were definitely feeling Elvis Costello's bleeding heartbreak and irony.

The song's title "Heartbreaker by Design" was actually something that he'd say any time he came close to uncovering her lies. We figured it was either name it that or "Gone Girl: The Musical".

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more about the EP here