“It’s strange how often women are defined by who they belong to instead of who they are,” says Mariel Loveland of indie-pop project Best Ex. “We’re so often viewed through the lens of being someone’s daughter, wife, or mother, rather than simply existing as ourselves. I wanted to write a song that pushed back against that idea.” That sentiment lies at the heart of ‘Good Girl,’ the powerful title track from Best Ex’s forthcoming sophomore album, which arrives November 6 via Iodine Recordings. Out now, the single serves as both the emotional and thematic centerpiece of an album that explores womanhood, adulthood, anxiety, identity, relationships, and the complicated process of growing into a version of yourself that rarely resembles the one you imagined as a child.
Ironically, ‘Good Girl’ became the song that defined the album before Loveland even realized she was making one. Written in a burst of inspiration over the course of an hour, it immediately established the sonic and emotional direction she wanted to pursue. Drawing inspiration from the emotionally driven alternative rock she grew up with while embracing the melodic instincts of modern pop songwriting, Loveland set out to create an album that captures a perspective she rarely hears reflected back: life as a woman navigating her thirties.
“I grew up loving these emotionally honest alternative rock records written by adults figuring life out,” she explains. “Now I listen to a lot of incredible younger pop songwriters writing about being in your twenties, and I love those records too. But I kept wondering—where are the songs about everything that comes next? About getting older, watching friendships change, questioning your purpose, grieving people you’ve lost, building a life, and trying to figure out who you are when adulthood finally catches up with you.”
Good Girl:
- Good Girl
- Eurydice
- Is This It?
- Losing Streak
- Sick Of Myself
- I Will (Superman)
- Papercut
- Man Like You
- Boring
- Living In Hell
- Parallel Lines
