Hilary Duff’s New Single Is About ‘When Life Is Life-ing, Babe’
“Roommates,” paired with a video that reminds us of her “Come Clean” days, is one of her best songs in years
Aaron Idelson
Lizzie McGuire turned 25 years old this week, but there’s no need to live in the past. After some teasing, Hilary Duff has dropped another single, off her upcoming album Luck …or Something.
Co-written by Duff, her husband, musician Matthew Koma, and Brian Phillips, “Roommates” is a pop stunner about losing the spark in a relationship. With razor-sharp lyrics and bright, synth-heavy production reminiscent of Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” it’s easily one of her best songs in years. “I only want the beginning, I don’t want the end/I want the part where you say goddamn,” she sings. “Back of a dive bar/Giving you head/Then sneak home late/Wake up your roommates.”
The video above, directed by Matty Peacock, features Duff alongside a partner she’s drifting apart from. It begins to rain as she makes a run for it, reminding us of her “Come Clean” days. How did we make it 10 years without any new music?
“’Roommates’ is a song about when life is life-ing, babe,” says Hilary. “It’s that ache for a wilder, freer time — before the days were swallowed by carpools, budget talks, grocery runs and letting old or new insecurities slip in. It’s the restless hum of wanting to find your way back — to your rhythm, to your person, to yourself.”
Luck …or Something, out Feb. 20 via Atlantic, marks Duff’s first new album since 2015’s Breathe In. Breathe Out. “Roommates” follows her return single “Mature,” which arrived back in November. Shortly after, she announced the Small Rooms, Big Nerves tour, which sold-out immediately (if you missed out on scoring tickets to those, don’t worry: she’s already teased more shows). In May, she’ll head to Las Vegas for a residency. As a young Hilary once said, we can’t wait.
From Rolling Stone US.
