The 22-year-old alt-pop artist has released a new single that perfectly encapsulates the hurt and sorrow that follows a breakup. Released on December 8, “Tell Her I Said Hi” showcases the alternative direction that Caroline Romano has continued to follow as her edgy pop tracks emulate the angrier and darker emotions that fuel her energetic and passionate songwriting.
Originally emerging as a pop musician in 2017, the Nashville-based singer songwriter didn’t start leaning into a more alternative sound until the release of her 2021 single “PDA of the Mainstream”. Today, Romano continues to explore the anger and fury that inspires her songs while still maintaining a pop-infused undertone in her music.
Before “Tell Her I Said Hi”, Romano released “Girl in a China Shop”, another pop-rock song, and both singles reflect how Romano’s music expresses the angst and emotions that one feels while finding themselves and navigating their twenties.
“Tell Her I Said Hi” opens with Romano singing softly over a mellow electric guitar. The song is inspired by a breakup with a boy that Romano says had moved on to somebody else just days after they broke up. As Romano sings of his navy blue bed sheets and something she thought was love, her uninterrupted delivery of lyrics represents a lamenting and desperate need to hold on to something that, although desired, is now gone.
Just before the one-minute mark, guitar chords and drums slam in and launch listeners into the chorus where Romano sings of the new girl that her ex has moved on to. Romano gives her her best wishes; she can enjoy the relationship, she can keep the boy, and she can even keep Romano’s old ring. While Romano delivers heartbreaking lyrics over crunchy and fuzzy guitars, she’s left to reminisce about empty promises and her broken heart. The relationship was temporary, but the wounds will last much longer.
As the song combines slower verses with crashing choruses, “Tell Her I Said Hi” begins hopeful and romantic, yet ends with jealousy and sadness. Romano’s latest single captures the hurt and hate that comes from a relationship that, although it wasn’t good, still had its loving moments. It’s these memories that hurt the most.
Listen to “Tell Her I Said Hi” HERE