Polaris shortlist shortcut: the Beaches' daring album, Blame My Ex

The Beaches' second studio album, Blame My Ex, is one of this year's 10 Polaris Music Prize-nominated albums, and CBC Music's Shortlist Shortcut series is back to help music fans learn the key details about each shortlisted record.

Dig into the stories behind the albums, the tracks you need to know, and the perfect summer activities to complement your listening. You can also listen to The Ten radio special on Blame My Ex here.

Artist:

The Beaches.

Album:

Blame My Ex. 

Polaris Music Prize history: 

This is the Beaches' first time on the short list. 

Story behind the nominated album: 

Blame My Ex was a make-or-break moment for the Beaches. 

In 2022, they were dropped by their label, Universal Music Canada, and parted ways with their management team. They were signed to Island Records (a subsidiary of Universal) straight out of high school and released their debut album, Late Show, and a number of EPs under the label. Almost a decade later, they found themselves without that major label support but also a newfound freedom. 

Lead singer Jordan Miller shared in an interview with Line of Best Fit that the only person they continued working with after the split, their Canadian agent, told them their "next record has to be the thing that takes you over the edge." And that it did. Blame My Ex is their most successful record to date, leading to sold out shows across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live and winning the 2024 Juno Awards for rock album of the year and group of the year. 

The band, made up of Miller, her sister and backup guitarist/vocalist Kylie, guitarist Leandra Earl, and drummer Eliza Enman-McDaniel, really hunkered down and worked on pushing their sound in a new direction. They felt pigeonholed into the hard rock sound that they built a fan base with, wanting to appeal to a wider audience. They worked closely with songwriter Lowell, who on top of writing her own music, has penned hits for Beyoncé, Madison Beer and Tate McRae. Gus Van Go, a stalwart in the Canadian music scene, was in the producer chair, and brought his expertise from working with Metric, Terra Lightfoot, Arkells and Hollerado.  

"We wanted to create a record that we would listen to, that we would be obsessed with," Jordan shared in the Line of Best Fit interview.

It's much more pop-leaning, full of hooks, and has many danceable moments. Perfect for pop radio or soundtracking a TikTok. It was on that app that things really took off for them, with the album's second single "Blame Brett" going viral after being released in May 2023. After a very clever social media campaign, the song became their first to chart on a U.S. Billboard chart and now has almost 60 million Spotify streams.

You can guess by the title that Blame My Ex is at the forefront a breakup album, grappling with the nebulous emotions and the messiness of relationships ending. But, the album also taps into what it feels like to go through any sort of tumultuous time in your life, when you feel like you don't have it all together but are chasing a semblance of stability. That's a universal experience that many can relate to. 

Notable players:

The four members of the Beaches write all their songs together and have since the beginning, but that doesn't mean they shy away from outside help. Blame My Ex has a whole heap of producers and songwriters that brought it to life: songwriter and producer Lowell (Beyoncé, Tate McRae, Charli XCX), producer Gus Van Go (Metric, Arkells, Sam Roberts Band), songwriter Dan Agee (Tenille Townes, Lacy Cavalier), and even two of their friends, songwriter and producer Sam Willows (Ruby Waters, Dragonette) and Karah McGillivray (the drummer from the band Valley). Plus, Blame My Ex includes the band's first feature on "My Body ft Your Lips," with Massachusetts band Beach Weather.

Standout songs: 

'Blame Brett'

Done being the sad girl
I'm done dating rock stars
From now on only actors
Tall boys in the Raptors

If you've been anywhere on social media over the past year, you've heard the above four lines looping over and over, across hundreds of posts with millions of views. The breakaway hit off of Blame My Ex, and the song that the album title comes from, "Blame Brett" has become the Beaches most popular song ever. And with good reason: it's catchy, rampant with earworms and full of cheeky lyrics that are fun to belt along to. 

'Me & Me'

Anxieties around being coupled are common and usually socially inflicted. On "Me & Me," Miller fights back, calling out those who might call a single woman of a certain age a spinster. The song strikes an irreverent tone with a cool, disaffected '80s new wave sound and lyrics like: "'Cause I'd rather be dead/ Than with ninety-nine percent of all men." Ultimately, the song is an ode to riding solo rather than being in a relationship just for the sake of it. 

'Edge of the Earth'

After coming out as a lesbian during the pandemic, Earl was asked by some fans on tour why the band hadn't yet written a song about queer love. Enter "Edge of the Earth," which is about Earl's first relationship with a woman. From the cinematic production to the soaring vocals, the whirlwind is palpable: "Turn me around, right upside down/ Spin me like a globe and drop your finger on me."

Recommended if you like:

The Last Dinner Party, Arkells, Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan. 

Summer activity pairing:

Whether you're entertaining a budding summer fling or grappling with the aftermath of a messy break up, Blame My Ex, is the perfect soundtrack for all stages of romance. The album pairs well with a day spent laying in the grass, gabbing with friends about potential suitors and soaking up the sun. 

Don't miss Shortlist Summer: a season-long showcase of the 10 albums shortlisted for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize. Read the weekly Polaris Shortlist Shortcut feature at cbcmusic.ca/polaris and tune into The Ten radio special every Sunday night at 6 p.m. (6:30 NT) at cbc.ca/listen.