The Canadian artist reveals his latest heart-wrenching pop project.

While a sonic departure from the often-outsized, frenetic compositions of (now defunct) Elite Gymnastics, James Brooks’ Dead Girlfriends project is equally nostalgic and even more emotionally exposed. The lyrics of gently Autotuned electro-pop ballad ‘Words With Friends’ set the tone for his new four-track EP: “the way they all talk about pain / like it’s some kind of abstract thing / like it’s an outfit you can change at any time / the way they all talk about love / like it’s a burden they’ve shrugged off / fuck that, fuck them, fuck you, ugh, fuck my life.”

The cover art (below) was illustrated by collaborator and tour partner Claire Boucher (aka Grimes). “this is a thing i made,” Brooks explains. “claire did the drawing on the front cover and she wants me to make sure to tell you that her original drawing is much better than it appears to be on the cover because i drew over a photo of it and made it look squiggly i dunno it’s hard to explain but what she’s saying is true.”

We believe him. Stream/buy Stop Pretending and watch the projector-heavy video for feedback-drenched ‘On Fraternity’ below. Additionally, Brooks’ anti-music industry blog post is a must read.