Today, MULTI-PLATINUM chart-topper Nate Smith returns with his candid new song “Break Up Like That.” A heartbreak song that cuts through all the usual clichés, the viscerally charged track reveals the distance between how we imagine lost love and how it actually unfolds. Go here to listen to “Break Up Like That” now.
“A buddy reached out recently who is going through a break-up and told me he’d heard every break-up song there is. But sometimes it’s not like the movies, it just sucks,” shares Smith. “There’s nothing anyone could say to make it better, but when I heard ‘Break Up Like That,’ I knew I had to cut it because it puts all of those feelings into words. If you’re going through it too, just know you’re not alone.”
Written by Michael Hardy (aka award-winning artist-songwriter HARDY), Zach Abend, Jameson Rodgers, and Carson Wallace, “Break Up Like That” doubles as a true-to-life portrait of everyday pain and a spot-on look at the way countless songs and movies romanticize a relationship’s messy aftermath. Another standout in Smith’s catalog of unforgettable songs about love gone wrong — including his PLATINUM-certified No. 1 hits “World on Fire” and “Whiskey On You” — the moody but hard-hitting track brings both dark humor and unfiltered feeling to its matter-of-fact take on romantic fallout.
Produced by Joël Bruyère, “Break Up Like That” opens with the bracingly stark acoustic guitar work of multi-GRAMMY-winning virtuoso Bryan Sutton (Dierks Bentley, Carrie Underwood), giving even greater weight to the pointed realism of Smith’s storytelling (“I’ve been scrolling through a jukebox trying to find / Three chords and a story that sounds like mine / But they ain’t got one as far as I know / About a girl gone numb on Lexapro”). As Smith takes aim at a series of classic breakup tropes (e.g., Dear John letters, late-night calls from the ex, drinking to numb the pain), the song steadily grows from sparse to explosive, bringing in the scorching riffs of electric guitarist Derek Wells (Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs) and thunderous rhythms of drummer Fred Eltringham (Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney). Boldly trading cinematic drama for lived-in emotion, “Break Up Like That” delivers the kind of deeply satisfying catharsis that can only come from staring down an uncomfortable truth.
Spotlighting the ever-expanding range of his artistry, “Break Up Like That” marks the follow-up to “Pray” — a life-affirming meditation on hope and faith. Along with tearing across North America on his recent LONG LIVE COUNTRY ROCK & ROLL TOUR, Smith’s latest highlights include releasing the raw and rowdy anthem “Find Me In A Bar” (featured on Country Swag’s “Country Songs You Need To Know This Week” playlist) and teaming up with DIAMOND-certified superstar Tyler Hubbard for the party-ready collaboration “After Midnight.” Stay tuned for more new music from Smith coming soon.
