American Pie. 10 Things I Hate About You. Can’t Hardly Wait. Now iconic late 90s and early 2000s coming-of-age comedies like these all came equipped with notable scores from power pop-punk bands that set the scene of teenage angst, love, and lust, and were anthems for some of our own adolescence.
Harnessing that same spirit and energy but with more melodic influence is Brooklyn’s Strange Neighbors, who released their latest single, “Hate Me Less.” Along with the new track comes the announcement of the band’s sophomore album, People Pleasers Pleasing People, which is due out April 18th, 2025 via Mint 400 Records.
The break-up song is sung from the breaker-upper’s perspective, ultimately holding out hope there’s no bad blood, and recognizing their own faults within the situation. The ending of the tumultuous relationship is met with more sympathy than bitterness – at least on one end – and is a lesser-heard viewpoint in a break-up song.
“Hate Me Less” opens with a contemplative mid-tempo riff that acts as a ticking timebomb just waiting to go off. “Parked, lights off in the 7-Eleven lot,” Strange Neighbors frontwoman Aidan Strange sings to start off the song, painting the scene from the get-go. The second verse into the chorus digs a little deeper: “When promises get too big they turn into lies / And you know I’ve never been good at goodbyes / I have regret / I have regret / But I think I’m trying my best / I think I’m trying my best / I hope you hate me less,” she pleads, as the song crescendos into the four-piece ensemble delivering their full arsenal of sound.
“I wrote ‘Hate Me Less’ from the depths of a haunted nostalgia that has weaved a thread throughout multiple previous failed relationships,” states Strange. “I was reflecting on a recent breakup in which I recognized I was putting off ending it for far too long, worried about hurting the person, but in the end hurting us both worse. In the end, it became a song about memories, regret, feeling messy, and ultimately, one of hope…but from a healthy distance.”
