Leah Capelle Dives into the Aching Pop Polish of “know me better”

Leah Capelle’s dazzling “know me better” wrestles through a breakup’s turmoil with a punch of electro pop glamour.

Stream: “know me better” – Leah Capelle

Breakups are never clean, because love is itself a complex narrative. Losing someone so prominent in our lives requires a seismic shift in how we exist, and in turn who we are. It indelibly changes the people we are, for better and for worse. Leah Capelle’s dazzling “know me better” wrestles through a breakup’s turmoil with a punch of electro pop glamour.

All the plants are dying, I cannot let them grow
‘Cause they remind me that you said you had to go
Don’t you think it’s funny that I haven’t left the house
Though this place is soaked in memories
and I cannot get them out?

I just called to tell you that you’ve been on my mind
That I’m trying to be strong while you’re leaving me behind
But all you had to say was you “need more time
That we cannot be friends, you’re not ready to be fine”

Released September 13th, 2019, “Know Me Better” is Leah Capelle’s second single of 2019. Born in Chicago and now based in Los Angeles, Leah Capelle has been in our sights we premiered her song “Docs” in late 2017. Describing the song as “cheerfully ironic and ruthlessly driving,” we at the time praised Capelle’s explosive energy, as well as her ability to channel that energy into “something palpable and real.”

Capelle has since been featured twice in Atwood’s Editor’s Picks, first for her “impassioned closer that wrings the soul out to dry” “Settle Down” in March 2019, and then again in August for her single “Alder Lake.” Released directly before “know me better,” “Alder Lake” is a truly dynamic rock song “basking in a shimmering, gilded memory” – a blend of immediacy and the past that chugs forward with a forceful verve.

Capelle describes her latest release as a “a break-up song for the hurting, for those trying to put the pieces back together, and for those who might need to just dance-cry the pain away.” “know me better” aches with the raw tension of a soul on the mend, finding the artist straining her voice to evoke a rich and relatable struggle.

So why is your name still showing up on my phone,
I thought you want to be alone?

I’ll give you what you want
I’ll give you what you want but
You should know me better
You think it won’t hurt
You think this won’t hurt but
You should know me better

“‘know me better’ was written as an attempt to come to terms with a really difficult breakup. I was at a complete loss at the time, though our relationship had been struggling for a few months,” Capelle tells Atwood Magazine. “We both made a lot of mistakes – some big, some small – that culminated in the end of what had largely been a really wonderful relationship. I sat alone in what had been our apartment looking around all the empty spaces on the walls where art had hung, the empty shelves where his books had been, and this song just poured out of me in that moment. This song is also about accepting responsibility for my contributions to the ends of things, even though acceptance is painful.”

Capelle describes “know me better” as leaning more into electronic/pop sounds than her previous work. “I’ve been having a lot of fun experimenting with genres lately,” she explains. “For so long, I couldn’t figure out what kind of artist I wanted to be – which I think is evident if you put my music on shuffle on Spotify. But I finally realized that it’s okay for my music to be genre-nonspecific! I can be whatever kind of artist I want to be – so, while “alder lake” leaned heavily into the alternative/rock space, “know me better” is danceable electro-pop.”

Fill up with distractions so you don’t have to feel
So the life we built together, none of it was real
Push your pain down in a bottle, save it for a night
For when you start to realize that I might have been right

I know this will hit like a shot to the chest
but you don’t miss me yet

Stylistically, “know me better” bridges the sincerity of Capelle’s older material with the glow and snap that electro-pop seems to harness best in this age. It’s a full-throttle banger full of life and heated musical drive. “Honestly, I love how the production turned out,” Capelle says. “I co-produced this track with my friend and co-writer Hayley Brownell and Jay Marcovitz, producer extraordinaire who’s doing the whole record with me. It was a journey to piece this song together and find the space that it really wanted to thrive in. And once we really sunk in during the mixing process, the whole song just completely took on a new life. Also… it’s kind of a bop (if I do say so myself!) while still being super lyrically vulnerable, which is new for me!”

I’ll give you what you want
I’ll give you what you want but
You should know me better
You think it won’t hurt
You think this won’t hurt but
You should know me better
Don’t try to act like this is not a death
I’m losing track of how this’ll end
I’ll give you what you want
I’ll give you what you want but
You should know me better

Shining with its clean, slick pop radiance, “know me better” finds Leah Capelle growing into new sounds and artistic styles with poise and grace. She may be in the throes of love’s worst moments, but she’s in the prime of her musical life and seemingly getting stronger with every passing release.

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Stream: “know me better” – Leah Capelle

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