Better Love is a trio who consistently craft beautifully forged and immensely catchy songs that will soon put them at the forefront of the indie-pop scene. Today they have unveiled their debut album I Don’t Want To Make It Hurt via Secret Friends Music Group. Upon first listen, it is palpable that the collection of songs are more than just an album. A journey through the human experience, the effort showcases the group’s ability to connect to the vulnerability and yearning for growth that lives inside all of us.
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Jackie Heuser, guitarist Brad Harvey, and drummer Kay Provencher are the interwoven minds and performers behind the music. The three came together as friends to build something unique and earnest. Heuser shares: “I Don’t Want To Make It Hurt is about becoming an integral part of growth not only as musicians but as people learning to embrace new love, cope with change and adapt to the environment around us.”
Better Love shared an exclusive track-by-track breakdown of their new record with idobi. They showcase the inner workings of the music, each theme and narrative carefully created. Check out the animated visual for the title track and read all about what makes I Don’t Want To Make It Hurt special below.
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The album begins with this song to open the narrative about the transformative experiences we’ve been going through. It’s acknowledging our desire to find the meaning in the challenges we’re faced with as we grow and navigate our way through life. This song is meant to explore the idea of finding purpose in the midst of struggles and longing for time to be the catalyst in our healing.
“I Spend Too Much Time” became an outlet to really express my frustrations with how social media was taking up so much space in my head, especially these last few years. I found myself feeling jealous of the way others were living because I was feeling so stuck. I spent so much time scrolling and scrolling hoping to feel that inspiration or connection I desperately needed.
“Losing Myself” was actually the first song we started to work on for this album. It started with Brad sending a clip of the instrumental and being unsure if he wanted to move forward with it. We started sending voice memos back and forth and ending up really liking how everything was coming together. Overall, this song is about getting lost in love and craving every moment with someone to the point where it gets out of hand. All of your senses become overwhelmed and you feel a system overload.
“Golden Hour” is all about a newfound infatuation between two people. There’s ease and familiarity, the connection feels natural as if they’ve known each other forever. It’s all the best parts of a summer fling rolled up into one song.
“Going Home” is about developing a deep emotional connection to someone and making sure they don’t slip away. It’s realizing that you’ve lived your life in such a fast paced way you’ve neglected the relationship and want to show them that you’re ready to prioritize them and hope they’ll give you another shot.
“Left The City” explores the complex emotions around a broken friendship and the difficulty to overcome their lack of presence in your life. Even though they’re physically gone, the remnants of the friendship lingers and it becomes increasingly difficult to carry forward. You want to find ways to reconnect and heal but feel skeptical that it’s even possible because the emotional scar is too deep.
“Talk” is a song about being no longer willing to feed into a negative cycle with someone. It’s that moment where you fully realize how far things have drifted and how there’s nothing else you can willingly do to save the relationship.
“Anyone Else” is about having the best of both worlds with a partner. You get the excitement and electricity but you also feel a sense of security and belonging. The connection isn’t temporary and there’s contentment in the exclusivity and love that’s shared.
“Streetlight” is a bit of a letter to my younger self. It recognizes some of the struggles of the past and plays as a reminder that no matter how hopeless things can seem, it all eventually gets better and, well, nothing is permanent. It’s the perspective from the kind of person I wish I had around at certain points in life, and how ultimately with time you can find it within yourself – that’s what this song is.
“Dreaming” is meant to feel like a lullaby that is building tension to lead us into the final track. It’s about losing your grip with reality and needing to be awakened before your mind starts to play tricks on you.
“I Don’t Want To Make It Hurt” is that feeling when you wake up one day and realize you’re getting older and the dreams you had when you were a kid have seemed to drift away. You realize that life is more complex than you could have ever imagined and how sometimes it’s hard to cope. The phrase is a culmination of both the record itself and how it feels to grow up.
