The lovelorn song was inspired by the singer’s real-life relationship coming to an end
Teddy Swims dropped a new single, “Break Up in Reverse.” The heartbroken anthem, released via Warner Records, sees Swims reflecting on a breakup without regret or resentment.
“I wish we could break up in reverse/ Every night would get better, instead of getting worse,” Swims sings on the track. “I’d watch you slowly lip back into my hands/ Say goodbye to me in the beginning, and love me in the end.”
“‘Break Up in Reverse’ really hits home for me right now and where I am in my life,” the singer shared in a statement. “Upon writing this song and my next album, I’ve been going through it with my relationship with my baby’s mother coming to an end. With ‘Break Up in Reverse’ we were super inspired by an old Nas song called ‘Rewind.’ We loved how the whole song takes place in reverse. So we thought, how beautiful would it be if we took the same idea but wrote it about my relationship, with the punchline being ‘Say goodbye to me in the beginning and love me in the end.’ I hope you feel as moved as I do every time I hear and sing this song.”
The music video for the track, directed by Lewis Cater, brings the concept to life. The clip opens on Swims standing in front of a pile of rubble. As he sings, a bulldozer moving in reverse reassembles the mess into a room full of meaningful objects: photos, baby toys, puzzle pieces, and kintsugi pottery.
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“Break Up in Reverse” follows the release of Swims’ most recent single, “Mr. Know It All,” which dropped in April. The singer performed the song at the American Music Awards in May.
Swims will kick off his Ugly Tour on Sept. 22 in Kansas City. The North American trek is set to wrap up in Los Angeles on Nov. 18.
