On its very surface, we’re intrigued by a project called New Husband lamenting a bad breakup and navigating the emotional aftermath that always follows. But with “Cracks,” the latest from Berlin-based Jakob Rotter, there’s more happening underneath the surface, and the dream-pop, R&B-tinged, and almost-chillwave-ian single cruises along with such a casual demeanor, it’s easy to forget the unease that first inspired it.
“After this breakup, I felt lost and disconnected,” Rotter says. “The noise of the city and my racing thoughts made it impossible to express my emotions, and all attempts of connecting with myself failed. A few weeks later, I went away to a little island on the German north sea, where I found time to go on walks by myself. For the first time my mind was able to go quiet while I wandered along the sand dunes and looked out over the open sea.”
He adds: “I started listening to a beat I had made a few days before over and over. Suddenly there were words. It’s like a door opened, I felt everything that had been bottled up. When I returned to Berlin and recorded the song, it felt like a sigh of relief.”
The getaway certainly paid dividends, and “Cracks” floats along somewhere between the worlds of Beach House, Neon Indian, and Mac Demarco. Let it guide you through your own flavored kind of relationship drama below.