That Eric Alper

Some breakups are mutual, some crush you, and some have you wishing the other would just go away as fast as possible. The last kind was the inspiration behind Dany Horovitz’s latest single, “Don’t Look To Me.”

The first single on the Canadian singer-songwriter’s upcoming album, Phanerorhyme, “Don’t Look To Me” combines a catchy chorus and up-tempo melody with lyrics that describe someone very ready to move on from their significant other.

“Here we are stuck in old routine
I’ve had enough, do you know what I mean
You call me lover, you call me friend
I tell you I’m broken, you ask me to bend”

The singer performs these lines over a 90s-esque pop rock background that evokes the high-energy songs of Barenaked Ladies, coincidentally Horovitz’s favorite Canadian band. This is a bit of a departure from his earlier releases, which had strong folk vibes, but with this track, Horovitz loudly declares his versatility and flexes his rock muscles.

The pace and energy of this song is why Horovitz decided to make it the single off of this album and the starter on the project’s tracklist.

“I wanted to front-load the higher energy songs, so the first three songs especially have a lot of drive,” he explained. “Of those three songs, I think that ‘Don’t Look To Me’ is catchiest because of its earworm of a chorus. It also has my trademark ‘sweet-melody-paired-with-dark-lyrics’ thing. In short, people who know me are going to like it a lot and hear something new and interesting, and it’s a great entry point for anyone who has never heard my music before, too.”

Phanerorhyme will be Horovitz’s second album and third project. In 2021, he released his first single, “Moving On,” which dove into post-breakup recovery. It serves as an apt juxtaposition to “Don’t Look To Me.”

“‘Moving On’ was about feeling joy again after going through heartbreak,” Horovitz said. “‘Don’t Look To Me’ makes for an interesting counterpoint, because it is an upbeat song about saying, ‘good riddance,’ to someone.”

Horovitz must have had someone particular in mind when he recorded this song in Toronto, because he immediately matches the heat of the instrumentals, only gaining energy as the track goes on. It culminates in a very memorable close.

“One interesting thing happens at the end where I hold the final note basically forever,” Horovitz said. “The last 30 seconds of the song is all one breath.”

Horovitz is an exciting, rising star in the North American music scene. He has had several singles get radio play across Canada, the United States, Europe, and Australia, and his single “Free Tonight” earned him Top 20 honors on Cashbox Radio. The next song up is “Don’t Look To Me” – keep your ears peeled for this catchy tune on a radio station near you.