On “Gap Tooth (On My Mind),” Best Ex provides listeners a space to escape their worries and discover emotional catharsis in the wake of heartbreak.
It’s unclear who was the first artist to realize the best cure for sadness is movement. There were probably generations of musicians who understood this simple fact long before recorded music existed. People would gather in concert halls or theaters or around fires burning as high as the materials would allow, and they would dance while music played. They danced to shake off the worries of the world, to free themselves from the concerns of the day or what may lie ahead in the future. They did whatever they could to be fully present in the moment, and in doing so, reconnect with their souls.
Mariel Loveland, otherwise known to the world as the face and voice of Best Ex, is the latest in a line of musicians stretching back centuries to provide that excuse for escapism we so desperately crave. What sets her apart, however, is that she seeks freedom through processing emotions rather than running away from them. Her music creates a space where listeners can work through complicated feelings of love and loss while simultaneously giving them an excuse to move their bodies. It’s a fine line to walk, and it requires surgeon-like precision to master, but Loveland and her musical cohorts do so in a manner that makes such artistic expression seem easy.
“Gap Tooth (On My Mind),” the latest single from Best Ex, places the notion of caring for one’s self front and center. The track begins as any breakup song would, with an evident longing for a connection that has recently been severed, but as the first verse gives way to the chorus, a more grounded and rational way of thinking emerges. Loveland’s broken heart is begging for something immediate to soothe the wound, such as a kiss from a stranger or a night lived with reckless abandon, but her mind knows better. Life has taught her that trying to fill the void the exists when someone you love leaves with anything less than a more significant emotional connection will ultimately lead to a pang of more profound sadness. A wild night might be fun, but the next day she will wake with the same longing in her soul, so what is the point?
But there’s another problem, and it’s the key to what makes “Gap Tooth (On My Mind)” a compelling song. The recognition of what you should and shouldn’t do when soothing a broken heart does not help with the healing process. Loveland doesn’t want to find someone else, nor does she wish to forget everything she shared with this other person. What she wants more than anything, for better and worse, is the other person in the story. Loveland’s built her life around someone she wants to be with, and knowing that cannot continue has left her at a loss. The only thing she can do is work through the pain, and “Gap Tooth (On My Mind)” provides the perfect song foundation to do that through dance.
The beauty of dance is that it has no rules. We’ve all seen the reality competitions and social media clips of people moving their bodies in jaw-dropping ways, but those individuals are outliers in the world of dance. Most people, including myself, don’t move like that. I don’t know what I look like dancing, but graceful is not a word I associate with how I move to the music I enjoy. What I do know, however, is that allowing myself to get lost in sound and movement is the most freeing experience on Earth. With “Gap Tooth (On My Mind),” Best Ex provides everyone with the ability to shake off the pain and stresses of existence, and that is all any song can hope to offer.
