The catchy + clever debut single from Meredith Lampe’s new solo project is an all-too-relatable “eye-roll at going on the same dates over and over again”
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Good morning. In today’s truly horrifying news, I ran some numbers, and it appears I’ve been on Tinder for eight years.
During that time, I could’ve (almost) become a doctor, written the next (admittedly below-average) American novel or, according to Google and my calculator app, walked to California and back approximately 14.6 times.
But nah. it appears I just went on a lottttt of DATES.
As you probably guessed (and if you’ve really been single, definitely get) it’s not like this is The Bachelorette. None of us are going skydiving or making tiramisu naked or having lunch at the top of the Eiffel Tower (or even, like, solid food in a borough besides Brooklyn). For the most part, it’s just a lot of well liquor in a lot of dark bars with a lot of in-hindsight-kinda-questionable individuals. And while sure, there are certainly some experiences that for better or worse (or weird) stand out, the majority of the meh are lumped together, the memories dropped into a cerebral spreadsheet* on a dating database in some back slice of brain, right next to LFO lyrics, the ~11 words we remember from eighth grade Spanish (mariposa!) and other bits and pieces we’ll probably never need to access again.
Fortunately, much like misery loves company, being single (quite paradoxically) does too! And it’s ultra-relatable situations and experiences like these that are exactly where the ~music magic~ happens.
So for those of us who have dated enough for an app to tell us “There’s no one new around you” (it’s the city that never sleeps, but you’ve run out of people to sleep with!), I’m pumped to premiere the rad debut single—a shimmery piece of 100% perfect indie-pop —from Work Wife, the brand-new project from Brooklyn-based artist Meredith Lampe!
This is “Thought We Met Before.”
Man, I really, really love it.
Ahead of the single’s release, Meredith (also: Colatura, Atlas Engine) was kind enough to climb back down out of her giant disco ball and send me over some background on the new song and the concept behind it—which, let it be known, we shall henceforth be referring to as the groundhog date:
“The song is supposed to be sort of an eye-roll at going on the same dates over and over again and feeling like both you and the person you’re going out with are living out the same experiences but with different people and in different places (or the same places—there’s a line about wondering, but already knowing, why the waiter knows your date’s name). It kind of feels like a play that both of you are acting in but neither of you are acknowledging it.”
[Sam’s note: “Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your naaaaaame…” But, like, maybe you shouldn’t bring ALL your dates there?!]
“It starts to feel like you’re both playing this game where you pretend like you aren’t comparing the other person against people you’ve seen before, or being reminded of people you’ve seen before by small things that the new person in front of you does. Your date keeps thinking they’ve met you before because they’ve been on so many similar dates with similar people.”
While the catchy song is packed with clever lyrics, this is perhaps my favorite verse that Meredith uses to illustrate this idea (it’s also the one she references above):
“I’m chatting with the waiter while you smoke out on the sidewalk
Can’t help but wonder why he knew your name
My memory is hazy but I’m pretty sure he called me Casey
Yeah they say us blondes all look the same”
But hey… at least they also have more fun?
Pre-save the very rad “Perhaps We Met Before” now, scoop it up + add it to your playlists when it drops tomorrow and stay tuned for more Work Wife tunes—coming your way soon!
And while we’re here and kinda on the topic, to the def-too-many dudes I’ve brought to Crown Inn: Whoops… my bad.
(*On the cerebral spreadsheet note, Meredith told me her ex kept an *actual* spreadsheet to track his past relationships, and why/how they ended—an inspiration for all of us to step up our ex-organization game.)
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Follow Work Wife at @workwifemusic!
Mix and master at Tessatura Studio by Digo and Jennica Best (respectively); co-production credits to Nick LaFalce and Natalie Lew; single art credits to Natalie Lew and Will Beebe; recorded at Rain City Lab.
Photo (provided by the artist): Keira Zhou