Hey, everyone. Anthony Fantano here, the Internet's busiest music nerd. And I have some pretty bad news for you.
You may have been enjoying our time here together, doing what we do, you know, just, like, getting comfortable, eating stuff out of my fridge. And look, while there are a lot of things about you that I like and think are cool, you're a good time.
And there are several points at which that Applebee's discount that you get, like, really came in clutch. Yeah, I mean, that's all well and good, but honestly, the more that I think about it, the more I kind of feel like I'm looking for something else in my life as a result, I have to break up with you.
Yeah, it's pretty much done. It's over.
I don't want this anymore. I really, truly am finished. You know, I'm sorry if this is, like, a shock. You know, don't be too sad about it, because I decided to make you a playlist, a breakup playlist. Because we're no longer together anymore.
And just a reminder, when I say you, I don't mean any one of you watching this specifically. It's more of a collective you. Yeah. It's like, all of you together are horrible and suck, and I don't want to be in a relationship with you anymore.
But, you know, we can still be friends. And hopefully you enjoy this playlist that I made you in celebration of our breakup, which I will go over in detail, including why I've put each song into the mix. Here we go.
Lianne La Havas - "Seven Times"
The whole mix kicks off with the wonderful Lianne La Havas and the track "Seven Times" from her self titled record from a while back. Not only did I think this was a cute start to the mix, because it kind of opens with this very casual guitar line over which she says, oh, that sounds like a good intro.
Yeah, you know, it's a mix. Get a little conceptual with the intro. That's cool. That's fair. And, yeah, this track is pretty much about you spending my love, not paying your share of the rent. You're awful. You're garbage. You're not pulling your weight in this relationship. You lazy son of a – Leann is tired of you, just in the same way I'm tired of you. This is over. This is done. We've got to move on. Our standards have been raised, and you no longer meet that bar. I am sorry.
Laura Marling - "Fortune"
Okay, next on the list, we have the amazing and talented Laura Marling with the song "Fortune", which is a great finger-picked, acoustic, parting ways kind of ballad with some familial backstory there to kind of add to the narrative.
But ultimately, the conclusion on this one is that we wasted our time, which we very much have, especially me, and that we should most definitely remind ourselves to never, ever, ever do this again or even humor it. My self respect and self worth is too high at this point. I am absolutely, positively never doing this again.
Bob Dylan - "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"
Alright, next in our breakup mix, we have the classic "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right."
Yeah, I mean, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe, this is over. This is done with. You were barely even present during this entire thing. We were living together like roommates. What was even the point?
I could do that with literally anybody. So, yeah, don't think twice. Don't give it a second thought. Just let it go. Just let it end.
Just let it finish. One of the best Bob Dylan recordings as far as I'm concerned. Good old Bobby there to remind you that it's a really dunzo and not to go back after this.
Joanna Sternberg - "People Are Toys to You"
Oh, yes, the amazing Joanna Sternberg off of their I've got me record. "People Are Toys to You"
Yeah. This track is all about you and how you're a user and you're somebody who takes advantage of others, which, you know, pulling no punches makes you pretty awful to be around, and thankless as well, since everything with you is just a one way friggin street. Hopefully I never have the displeasure of knowing somebody as parasitic as you ever again.
But, hey, at least this whole experience has given me new perspective on my self worth. And I will never, ever, ever allow anybody to do to me what you did ever again.
Kara Jackson - "d******d blues"
Okay, following this, we have the amazing Kara Jackson with "d******d blues". You know, have you ever dealt with a dickhe*d? I mean, I have. That's you. I'm telling you that you're the dickhe*d.
Chris Stapleton - "You Should Probably Leave"
Okay, next on the list, we have Chris Stapleton with "You Should Probably Leave", which is a good, slick, well executed country rocker where it kind of seems like narratively things are at a point where they could either get emotionally tense or, you know, even, again, some second thoughts being thrown out there. But Chris is just like, nah, you know what? Just get out of here. Just skedaddle. You know, just go on and leave. You know, we're kind of getting more into country territory on this, which I think is pretty great.
Slowly shifting from one vibe and genre to the next. I really do like to try to match vibes at least a little bit. Track to track to track in a playlist have almost like a momentum or anesthetic baton being passed from moment to moment, which, you know, I'll say, I feel like you are fortunate to be getting this level of effort from me at this point when I just really want to have nothing to do with you.
AJJ - "All of My Woulds"
Okay. Following this, we have AJJ with "All of My Woulds", which is not necessarily a breakup song per se. It's really more of a general track about kind of looking at all of your failures, your mistakes, the things that you could have done, assessing them, but also kind of like letting it all go and look, you know, I'll be honest. There are moments in this relationship where I could have been a better version of myself, where maybe if I started early enough, I would have had the energy and the focus and the ability to, you know, really put in the work to fix and alleviate things, make them function better.
Jeff Rosenstock - "LIKED U BETTER"
But at this point, I'm just so deeply disgusted by the sight, the smell, the presence of you in any shape and form. Honestly, I feel like there's no redeeming the situation at this point. Best to just move on and take the L. We go from some folk punk to some poppier punk, but also with a folk and a singer-songwriter bent to it. On.
Jeff Rosenstock's "Liked U Better" where. Yeah, now that this breakup is done and over with, I don't want to be reminded of you anymore. I liked you better when you were not on my mind. Frankly, I don't want to think of you ever again. I want to think about other stuff. The stuff that is coming to me ahead in my life down the road, not so much the stuff that happened back there. We were doing that on the last track.
Okay, this is the next track. Now we're looking forward, and hopefully this song serves as a reminder that in those lonely moments when you're thinking, oh, I wonder if he's wondering about me. No, I'm not doing that.
I liked you better when you were not on my mind. Any time in which that is happening, I will be doing my best to eliminate the thought from my head.
The Lemon Twigs - "The One"
Okay, we're going further into rock territory, more pop rock territory on this next one. That will be the Lemon Twigs with "The One". And this track is really kind of like, you know, putting on display a juxtaposition between the ways in which we both love and how that's kind of a mismatch because you're just, like, so loopy and looking everywhere and so confused and a little disheveled, too. Don't really know what you want and. Geez, come on. At this point, figure it the frick out.
Actually, I'll admit to having this problem, too. This is more of a self-own, me putting in this playlist. I'm sorry.
Gang of Four - "Damaged Goods"
Following this, though, we have a Gang of Four with "Damaged Goods". Some classic post punk right here.
It's essentially about how just everything about you really kind of disgusts me at this point. Maybe it was just sort of a lust thing at the end of the day, and there is really nothing about this I am attracted to beyond that. At this point, I feel like I should just be focusing on other things.
Pissed Jeans - "Have You Ever Been Furniture"
Alright, after this, we're getting even heavier and more aggressive with have you ever been furniture? Which is very much a song about feeling like you're being used, being taken advantage of.
We've addressed this theme earlier in the mix, but why not pile on another track that does it again, but in a more badass fashion? Especially since Pissed Jeans totally kill it on this track. Because, yeah, with you, I felt essentially like furniture, like an object. I don't want to be an armoire or a hutch.
King Krule - "Flimsier"
Okay, after this, we're going to lighten things up a little bit with the king cruel track, flimsy or really going from the heaviest moment in the mix to the lightest and spacious and most depressing moment in the mix.
Because, you know, even a breakup that you know is. Is the right thing to do, is important to do. Good for you. At the end of the day, it's still hard, it's still sad. It's still depressing, still kind of puts you in a bit of a dark place.
This song is most certainly reflective of that.
Tinashe - "None Of My Business"
Okay, from here, still a little spacey and moody. We are grabbing a track off of the Tinashe Baby Angel mini album, "None Of My Business", which is a bit of a love lust narrative concept record. This is one of the moodier tracks on it.
And yeah, you know, you moving on, being poison-tongued. Everything from here, post this separation, none of my business. I don't care. I don't want to know.
Chappell Roan - "Coffee"
And then we pick things up and get a bit dramatic with Chappell Roan, it's pretty much a ballad, just sort of like, addressing and discussing the terms of any sort of, like, future interactions. At this point, it's going to be business as usual. It's going to be platonic, it's going to be surface level. It's not going to go anywhere other than just the coffee shop, if that's where it is or anywhere else because we are not getting emotional. We are not going back to your place as much as I want to on the inside.
JPEGMAFIA - "FIX URSELF!"
Okay. After this, JPEGMAFIA "FIX URSELF!" Maybe not directly a breakup song in and of itself, but a lot of bars about bitter exes on this one, that's for sure. And sort of improving yourself and kind of like, you know, standing above your haters and those you have separated yourself off from.
Tony Molina - "Nothing I Can Say"
From there we have Tony Molina, "Nothing I Can Say". If you're unfamiliar with Tony, he is really the master of the tiny breakup song. He has lots of very, very small songs about just things not working out. And nothing I can say I feel like is a great addition to this mix as a result of that, even if it is just a very trim 1 minute and 11 seconds
The Mountain Goats - "Bleed Out"
Then we are ending things off with a big boy. The seven-minute track "Bleed Out" from The Mountain Goats off of the album of the same title.
And this track is pretty much just about like giving up. It's over. We're done. I'm tired of getting up, getting shot and falling down, getting back up again and going through this process where I'm constantly like fighting and battling and struggling to keep this going.
This time I'm just going to give up. I'm going to die. I'm going to let it die. I'm just going to let it just end. It's a nice little credits roll moment for the mix and yeah, that is going to be my mix to you. As far as us breaking up, I have broken up with you.
Okay, so it's official. It's done with. It's over. We are no longer together. I am blocking your number in my phone and I'm unfollowing you on all social media and that is pretty much going to be it.
We will link to the breakup playlist down below so you can check it out for yourself and hopefully you had a good breakup with me. You're the best.
Anthony Fantano, breaking up with you forever.
