Lily Allen is back, and this time she’s serving up a divorce album full of sass, heartbreak and some serious bops.
Seven years after her album No Shame, Lily released West End Girl, inspired by her split from Stranger Things actor David Harbour.
Written over just 10 days in December 2024, the raw project dives into the betrayal Lily felt, including allegations of infidelity and dishonesty in an open marriage.
Lily has been candid about the album’s content, telling The Times that it’s not “all true” and that she took “artistic” license in some instances, but “there are definitely things I experienced within my relationship that have ended up on this album.”
“There are usually agreed-upon boundaries in relationships,” she shared of her open relationship.
“But whether those boundaries are adhered to or not is becoming a grey area all of a sudden.”
In December, Lily’s marriage to actor David Harbour broke down.” I made this record in December 2024 and it was a way for me to process what was happening in my life,” the singer told Vogue.
The opening track, West End Girl, is a cinematic opener (and a fab tune) that paints the picture of a newlywed couple settling into married life in a Brooklyn brownstone… yes, the very one Lily and David showcased for Architectural Digest in 2023, causing a minor internet frenzy.
But even in this bright beginning, cracks appear: “You were pushing this forward / made me feel a bit awkward,” she sang. From there, the album unfolds like a tragic novel, each track a new chapter chronicling the slow, heartbreaking unraveling of a relationship.
“There are things that are on the record that I experienced within my marriage, but that’s not to say that it’s all gospel,” the 41-year-old told Vogue.
“It is inspired by what went on in the relationship. Confusion, sorrow, grief, helplessness.”
Throughout the album, infidelity is highlighted, including suspicion of a partner cheating outside of their open relationship.
In Ruminating, Lily wrote, “If it has to happen, baby, do you want to know?”
The “arrangement,” Lily continued, was “be discreet and don’t be blatant / there had to be payment / it had to be with strangers.”
But the drama deepens on Tennis, where Lily hints at an emotional affair: “If it was just sex, I wouldn’t be jealous,” she sings, before asking, “Who’s Madeline?” Speaking to The Times, Lily shared that Madeline represents multiple women.
In the track P*ssy, Lily writes of the partner in the track being a “sex addict” after finding multiple sex toys and hundreds of condoms.
Later in the track, 4chan stan, she goes through more of his belongings, finding more things belonging to a woman.
By Let You W/In, she lets go of carrying her partner’s “secrets,” while on Fruityloop she comes to a clear-eyed conclusion: she’s not to blame for the relationship’s collapse. “It’s not me / It’s you / And there was nothing I could do,” she sings, reclaiming her voice.
Across the album, Lily transforms personal heartbreak into raw art, using her sass and vulnerability.
West End Girl isn’t just a breakup album; it’s a bold statement, proving that there is life after love and loss, and if you’re not sure there is, well, she’s given us a damn good album out of it.
