BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO WITH LIZZY MCALPINE’S “OVER THE OCEAN CALL”

If “breaking up is hard to do,” then breaking up over the phone is much easier. Of course, ending a relationship in such a way raises all kinds of moral and ethical questions, a number of which Philadelphia’s Lizzy McAlpine reckons with on her sublime indie chill single “Over the Ocean Call.”

LIZZY MCALPINE - “OVER THE OCEAN CALL”

Neil Sedaka was right. Breaking up sucks. Having to make yourself vulnerable, while simultaneously inflicting an untenable amount of pain on your soon-to-be ex? It’s about as pleasant as getting your teeth pulled with no anesthesia.

But although it can be tempting to avoid accountability by landing the final blow over the airwaves, it’s important to remember how it feels to be on the other end of that phone call. No matter how far you may have fallen out of love with someone, to deny them the dignity and agency of a final in-person goodbye is cold, callous, and quite frankly unforgivable.

Lizzy McAlpine is acutely aware of this on her lilting latest single. It’s rare that a songsmith positions themselves as the villain in their story, yet that’s precisely what the Berklee College of Music alumna does on “Over the Ocean Call.” Written about the indefensible act of a long-distance dumping, it’s an authentic, unflinching look at the messiness of Being Human™ that arguably deserves a badge of honor for its bravery.

An over-the-ocean call
Is how I told him
This isn’t working anymore

Even though we’re currently existing in an age of social distancing, We Are: The Guard doesn’t exactly endorse breaking up over the phone any time soon. What we do endorse, however, is honesty, integrity, and living your truth. Our respect to Lizzy McAlpine for fully embracing all three of these on the tender “Over the Ocean Call.”

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Jess Grant is a frustrated writer hailing from London, England. When she isn't tasked with disentangling her thoughts from her brain and putting them on paper, Jess can generally be found listening to The Beatles, or cooking vegetarian food.