Mariel Loveland of NYC-based Indie-Pop band Best Ex recently announced her debut album With A Smile out on October 6, 2023 via Iodine Recordings/Alcopop! Records. She has released second single off the album, “I Promise To Ruin Your Life,” which is about having “innocent little crushes” which often give her fuel during challenging times.
She shares about her upcoming album:
I feel way more excited than nervous. To be totally honest, this is the only thing I have ever wanted. So many times, when I feel like I’m flailing around with no direction, the universe seems to give me exactly what I need. In this case, the month I was getting ready to think about recording a new single, Iodine Records randomly reached out to me and asked if I wanted to make an album. I honestly had been feeling like I may never get the opportunity to make a full length on my own—especially with how much the industry has changed since I made music with Candy Hearts. Of course, I said ‘ABSOLUTELY YES.’ It feels like the world is giving me a second chance, and I hope fans will too.
Regarding the new track, she says:
I write so many songs about heartbreak, but this time around, I just wanted to write something about that light, hopeful feeling of meeting a stranger you just absolutely adore. I also wanted this song to be a bit of a nod to my previous work with Candy Hearts. I referenced the song ‘All The Ways You Let Me Down’ in the lyric ‘I know how this ends / we won’t be speaking / I’ll add you to the list of things that let me down.’ I wanted to give a nod to all the places my career has taken me. I really value those years, and my album didn’t feel complete without reflecting on that.
The follow-up to Best Ex’s 2020 sophomore EP Good At Feeling Bad, With A Smile marks dramatic life changes that forced her to re-examine her life, from new diagnoses to massive relationship changes with a positive outcome.
She adds:
I feel like I’ve aged a decade in three short years, and I think that’s all reflected on the album. I met my husband, moved in with him almost instantly. We eloped. I became an aunt. I lost my grandma. I was diagnosed with OCD. When I listen, I literally hear myself coming of age.
