We all know that Starcrawler know their way around a powerful riff, but did you know that they’ve also mastered the art of the breakup? To hear vocalist Arrow de Wilde belt it out on the band’s new standalone single “Learn to Say Goodbye,” the end of a partnership—platonic or romantic—is painful enough without all the finger-pointing, so why not try and approach the situation empathetically from the other person’s point of view? “When relationships end, we tend to villainize the other person as a way to cope,” de Wilde explains. “We wanted to write a song that showed the way that we all do that. I can be your villain and you can be my villain, and at the same time neither of us really did anything wrong. The song switches perspectives every new verse and every chorus means something different, because you’re looking at it through the other person’s eyes, and that’s really how we should be ending our relationships.”
Despite the subject matter, “Learn to Say Goodbye” remains an upbeat shredder, its ’90s alt-rock-radio feel surely being abetted by the song’s recording process at Foo Fighters’ storied studio 606. “Being there and surrounded by history definitely inspired us creatively—it’s almost impossible for it not to,” de Wilde adds. “I’m so grateful for everyone at 606, I still can’t believe we got to record there.”
The song lands in the early days of Starcrawler’s North American tour alongside psych-metal icons Boris. According to de Wilde, “Learn to Say Goodbye” has already become a staple of their setlist. “We’ve already been performing it live on tour, and it’s fun to watch the reception from the audience—especially because it’s a song that nobody knows yet. I’m excited once it’s out to hopefully see people singing along, because I feel like it’s a song a lot of people could relate to.”
Check out the video below, and pre-save the track here. Additionally, you can catch the band at the dates listed on their tour itinerary here (as far as I can tell, though, none of them are set on a beach).
