Ava Max’s “One of Us” tangles two perspectives of a floundering relationship. “One of us would die for love,” she sings before hitting the switch in the other direction. “One of us would give it up.” So goes the song for the rest of the chorus, a theme teetering between fight and flight when times are bad. “One of us would risk it all / One of us won’t even call,” Max continues. She then leans into the perspective of cutting ties loose, “One of us could say goodbye / Never even bat an eye / One of us is hurting you / And, baby, that’s the last thing that I wanna do.” The production turns up the temperature and ignites a flame beneath Max’s thorny lyrics. It might draw blood, but it’s worth it.
Listen to “One of Us” below.