Alexander 23 tells his old flames to "Hate Me If It Helps"

Before sitting down to write his own post-breakup bops, Alexander 23 dabbled (to put it lightly) as a songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. With a GRAMMY nomination and humble brags aplenty to his name – including being a co-producer of Olivia Rodrigo’s “good 4 u” – he’s adept with turning universal emotions into delicate reflections.

“Hate Me If It Helps” is a grand and invigorating twist on the classic heartbreak song. An impassioned and zealous earworm, the track reaches pacing highs in a post-chorus guitar-soaked solo as Alexander toes the line between overwhelming sadness and bittersweet acceptance of the post-breakup malaise.

Speaking on the track, he shares, “I’d gotten to a point where I realized that I loved this person enough that I didn’t care what it took for them to feel better after the breakup — so if blaming me gets them to where they need to be, I’m totally okay with that.”

“Hate Me If It Helps” arrives perfectly accompanied by a Charles Mehling directed music video. Opening on a desolate, desert landscape, we see an evocative slow cycle of passing trains, abandoned city streets, and dunes. Alexander sits alone atop a dusty piano, jilted and abandoned, left with nothing but sentiments of what once was.

As the start of a new era for the Chicago-bred musician, his teaming up with Dan Nigro (Carly Rae Jepsen, Conan Grey) makes for a layered, rich, and intricate sound, while still holding hands with the emotional intimacy of his previous works.

“The time immediately following a breakup is really hard and doesn't get as much coverage as the event itself,” Alexander tells Best Fit. “I hope this song does a good job exploring that terrain. Sonically, I feel like this song is really indicative of the album coming later this year that I made with my good friend Dan Nigro and it feels great to be releasing music again.”

Considering his 2021 track record, with these fine-tunings, 2022 will no doubt be spectacular for the artist as he gears up to a larger project.