Crimson Apple Get Dark on “Break Your Heart Worse”

It’s pretty idyllic growing up in Hawaii. The palm trees. The captivating sunsets. Its enveloping and tranquil beauty is something the Benson sisters have already lived and breathed. Amidst their utopian upbringing, each of the four sisters were picking up their respective instruments as pre-teens and teens, honing their skills and eventually forming Crimson Apple.

Now, nearly a decade into their union as a band, they’re in a new place. Still enraptured in their pop roots, they’re divulging a slightly darker side, a new revelation of the siblings’ individuality on “Break Your Heart Worse.”

A follow up to the band’s 2019 EP Somebody, the more melancholy synth-pop of “Break Your Heart Worse” reveals the makings of a relationship gone all wrong. The band, consisting of vocalist Colby, guitarist Shelby, bassist Carthi, and drummer Faith have fine-tuned their sound since forming in 2012. Later relocating to Los Angeles in 2015, they locked in a regular gig at Disneyland, and soon released their debut Hello.

In 2019, the siblings already earned nominations for Alternative Album of the Year, Most Promising Artist of the Year, and Group of the Year at the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (the Grammy Awards of Hawaii) and have played with The Chainsmokers, The Plain White T’s, All Time Low, Will Champlain, Switchfoot, and One Republic.

“We believe that this song is a very important step for the band, as it’s the first project that we’ve been able to solely produce,” the sisters tell American Songwriter.

On “Break Your Heart Worse,” the sisters reveal a gloomier side. “For this song, we wanted to portray our dark and twisted take on a love story about being in a relationship with someone who can’t get over their ex,” says Crimson Apple. “We had a lot of fun creating this darker narrative, as well as pairing it with a music video that really amplified the ‘twisted love’ concept.”