Gwen Stefani’s storied career will enter a new era on November 15th with the release of Bouquet. The project will be her fifth solo album and her first fully-original project in 8-years.
Stefani continued her album rollout on September 20th with the release of her new single, “Somebody Else’s.” The single is the second track that Stefani has released from Bouquet. It is a shift thematically from the album’s first single, a duet between the pop-icon and her country-superstar husband Blake Shelton titled “Purple Irises.”
While “Purple Irises” is celebration of found love, Stefani’s newest track is a declaration of freedom that is sure to resonate with anyone that’s been thankful to have walked away from that ex. Although the song doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the normal pains of a breakup, but there is a palpable gratitude when Stefani sings “Look at me blossom / You’re somebody else’s problem.”
Musically, the guitars on this track take center stage. A driving rhythm guitar anchors the band throughout the track, allowing atmospheric and heavily saturated chords to decorate Stefani’s vocals on the pre-chorus. This dreamy setup allows the onset of the reflective and good-riddance fueled chorus to hit even harder.
This single signals to listeners that for her newest chapter, Stefani will be dipping her toes into sounds that draw heavy influence from ‘70s soft rock. Stefani has always been able to keep audiences guessing, ranging stylistically from ear-worm pop hits like “Sweet Escape” to her ska days with No Doubt, who made waves by performing together for the first time since 2016 at this summer’s Coachella.
Stefani recorded “Somebody Else’s” and the rest of Bouquet with a full live band and award-winning producer Scott Hendricks at Smoakstack Studios in Nashville. Hendricks has produced several titans of country music, including Alan Jackson, Brookes & Dunn, and Faith Hill.
Having two notably accomplished collaborators like Stefani and Hendricks is bound to produce an album worth tuning in to. Luckily, Bouquet is available for pre-order and pre-save here! While waiting for the full project to drop, make sure you stream “Somebody Else’s” wherever you get your music.