The 23-year-old American singer-songwriter released single 'not ur friend' last Friday (Feb. 28) and announced his debut album will drop in April.
Jeremy Zucker is standing up for himself in his newest single, “not ur friend.” The harshly honest song serves as a preview for his forthcoming debut album titled love is not dying, due out in April. Love itself may not be dying, but the relationship described by Zucker in “not ur friend” is unequivocally dead.
The track, co-written with Max Martin’s MXM team and produced by Zucker, opens with Zucker remembering that tomorrow is a past love’s birthday and distancing himself from the party she’ll surely have. If she weren’t so insecure, he points out, she would allow him to move on.
“Hang up, if you ever think of calling,” he sings in the chorus over a guitar-led backdrop. “Me up, not afraid to say it darling / Sorry, I’m not sorry if it hurts / I don’t mean to make it worse / I’ve decided that I’m not your fucking friend.”
It becomes clear that Zucker’s mentality is not heartless so much as self-preservation when he outlines he doesn’t want to see her cry and wants her to be OK—just not with him.
“not ur friend” followed the Feb. 7 release of “always, i’ll care.” The two songs have contrasting messages. While “not ur friend” sees Zucker with closure and confidently moving forward, “always, i’ll care” finds him in the thick of sorting out his emotions even if he appears unaffected on the outside: “Despite every text of yours ignored / Will you call me still just to hear my voice? / I swear / Always, I’ll care.”
The narrative range Zucker displays in these two songs bodes well for what’s to come on love is not dying. The Republic Records signee’s earnest songwriting—previously showcased on 2019’s brent with Chelsea Cutler and his several other solo EPs—has attracted a passionate following, and those fans can expect an even better version of the same this spring.
Upcoming tour dates:
April 30: Dublin @ The Academy
May 2: Paris @ Le Trabendo
May 4: Berlin @ Columbia Theater
May 5: Frankfurt @ Batschkapp
May 7: Zurich @ Dynamo
May 8: Munich @ Technikum
May 9: Vienna @ WUK
May 11: Hamburg @ Gruenspan
May 12: Cologne @ Live Music Hall
May 14: Amsterdam @ Melkweg
May 16: Brussels @ Ancienne Belgique
May 18: London @ O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
May 21: Morrison, Colorado @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
June 13: New Haven, Connecticut @ Toad’s Place
June 14: Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
June 15: Boston @ Royale
June 18: New York City @ Terminal 5
June 22: Philadelphia @ Theatre of Living Arts
June 23: Toronto @ Danforth Music Hall
June 24: Detroit, Michigan @ Saint Andrews Hall
June 26: Atlanta, Georgia @ Variety Playhouse
June 27: Nashville @ Brooklyn Bowl
June 28: Chicago @ House of Blues – Chicago
June 29: Minneapolis, Minnesota @ First Avenue
July 2: Dallas @ House of Blues – Dallas
July 3: Houston @ House of Blues – Houston
July 6: Salt Lake City, Utah @ The Depot
July 8: Portland, Oregon @ Crystal Ballroom
July 9: Seattle @ Showbox at the Market
July 11: San Francisco @ The Fillmore
July 14: San Diego, California @ The Observatory – North Park
July 15: Phoenix, Arizona @ The Van Buren
July 17: Los Angeles @The Novo
Photo credit: Meredith Truax
