JACK'S NOT ALRIGHT

I love you, but I love my freedom too
I know what I must do
But I'm really just scared to leave you

I love the two-minute economy of Jack Harlow's latest track, Set Me Free, which captures a typical modern dilemma for a young man in the crumbling, materialistic West—where the desire for self-independence clashes with the emotional strain of romantic attachment, and where ultimate submission to another person feels like a threat to that independence.

The nervous, ADHD-like energy of the garage-style drums effectively emphasises the narrator's emotional restlessness as he struggles between finding the courage to move on from his partner and still clinging to something that feels purer and more meaningful than the uncertain future ahead without them.

You found me at the end of peak innocence
My love is dried up like ink in this pen
And now that I'm thinking again
I'm not scared to leave you

Transitioning from belonging to someone to belonging only to one's selfish needs perfectly conveys the existential dilemma of giving yourself up to love versus building yourself up alone and sacrificing those emotions that create deeper connection. The whole song feels like an interior ultimatum, and its brevity only heightens this sense of urgency. Some might suggest that the phrase "set you free" carries a whiff of toxic masculinity, but the sentiment could just as easily be expressed by a woman as by a man—so I think it's more about general toxicity in a relationship and the need for one person to cut the cord accepting what has to be. Besides, Jack's really saying that he could set himself free, and in this way, it's more a statement of self-projection.

By the end of the track, there is a tangible sense of resignation, as the repetition of the phrase "I know I need to" becomes increasingly deflated with each utterance.

For those not feeling the Valentine's Day vibes today, it's definitely an effective anthem.