Like much of her work, Jenny Owen Youngs’s latest single, “Someone’s Ex,” features an easy melody, laid-back singing over a rich, acoustic backdrop, and bittersweet lyrics.
I wrote this song with my friend Tom Peyton. Tom was one of the very first people I ever did a co-writing session with, and he has credits with everyone from Christina Aguilera to Panic! at the Disco to Camila Cabello; I suppose I’d be remiss to not mention we worked on a Pitbull song together. One of the things I love most about writing with him (besides of course that it’s fun to make music with friends) is his approach, a delicate balance between the philosophical and the emotional.
Love is many things, although in the near-infinite mirror of film, television, literature, and music we tend to mostly see only a few aspects reflected back at us (greatest hits include the overwhelming passion of new romance or the heart-shattering pain of an ending). While this song does touch on the thrill of being in love with someone, its greatest concern is with a challenge of partnership that is of particular interest to me: how to not let my cursed brain fuck things up for myself.
I really admire Young for her storytelling ability in particular, whether that story is an emotional vignette like “Someone’s Ex”, or a more complex fictionalized scenario as in “Love For Long” or “Dungeons and Dragons”.
There’s tons of interviews with her and her various releases, such as with Atwood Magazine, The Big Takeover Show, and Magnet Magazine. You can also hear Young talk with Cameron Esposito on the latter’s podcast, Queery. On the sexuality side of things, Young talked about coming out as a gay musician on Tumblr and Autostraddle; the Huffington Post put together a bunch of her thoughts.
Young has an extensive discography, including several albums. My favorite so far is An Unwavering Band of Light, which features some of her more upbeat songs.