Down with love!: A Valentine's Day indie music playlist

When Katie Crutchfield, frontwoman of Waxahatchee, and Co. were touring behind 2017’s “Out in the Storm,” the song they used to open the show was “Recite Remorse.” It was a perfect choice because the song is a dynamic clarion call of looking into the aftermath of a relationship that has just ended. While the song is fairly personal to Crutchfield’s experiences, the underlying emotions are universal. Plus, the song is just awesome.

Some of these songs will be somber and involve heartbreak, but not every relationship ending is a reason for eternal regret. In fact, “Lakeland” is on this playlist largely for the shout-along climax, where the ladies of Jawbreaker Reunion repeatedly yell, “I hope that I never see you again.” This is about as close to a “feel good” song as you will find here, so we might as well get you pumped up early.

Every Alvvays song is beautiful — blame Molly Rankin’s voice — even the sad ones. However, Rankin is also an excellent lyricist, so this is an introspective song with some sharp, memorable lyrics. In the end, as the chorus tells us over and over, there is no turning back sometimes.

Here’s a whole different flavor of heartbreak that doesn’t even involve a breakup. Sometimes the relationship never even happens, and that can be just as saddening. Olsen’s voice often quivers when she sits, and it has an emotional quality to it. But that idiosyncrasy is pretty perfect for a song like this, as she comes to grips with the reality hinted at in the title “Never Be Mine.”

Childbirth is a jokey punk band that harks back to the days of bands like the Dead Milkmen, although some of their songs are a bit too bawdy for our editorial standards. If you’ve used a dating app ever — and if you have been single in the last five or six years you almost definitely have — then you may a laugh, or at least sigh knowingly, when listening to “Siri, Open Tinder.”

Technically, “Happy Unhappy” from the New Zealand pop punk band The Beths is about having a crush on somebody and how it can infect your brain. That may make it a fit in and of itself, as the song chronicles the anxieties and fears that can come from not knowing what will happen. However, it also feels like it can definitely strike a chord if you are nursing a breakup. After all, lyrics include, “couldn’t you leave me?" "I was happy unhappy” and “I could forget you, like I really want to.”

This song is way older than the rest on the list, but this slice of ‘90s indie rock is a perfect fit on this playlist. It’s a simple song, as there are really only two verses that get repeated a few times. That being said, it’s still searing, and somewhat heartbreaking, despite its simplicity. The story is stark, and it’s all right there in the opening lyric: “He kinda shoulda sorta woulda loved her if he could’ve.”

If you dug Mitski’s 2017 album “Be the Cowboy” or her previous album, “Puberty 2,” we highly recommend dipping back into her catalog for 2014’s “Bury Me at Makeout Creek,” her best album. There are a lot of great songs on it, many of them dealing with romance, almost none of them positive. It seems that the couple at the center of “Francis Forever” may still be together, but in name only. If you are in the mood to get bummed out, and most people feel that from time to time, “Francis Forever” should be right up your alley.

Much as how “Recite Remorse” opened Waxahatchee’s “Out in the Storm,” “My 85th Rodeo” is the lead track from Worriers’ 2017 album, “Survival Pop.” There are a lot of songs about fractured relationships on this album, which is pretty great all in all, but “My 85th Rodeo,” complete with its cynical, world-weary title, is the standout and a great fit in the middle of this playlist.

Here’s a real burst of energy, although lyrically this song is about as rough as it gets. With a frantic rasp, the singer on “Our Song” chronicles a relationship circling the drain due to his partner’s presumed infidelity. You may find yourself tapping your toes, but lyrics like “Don’t say you love me when you know you don’t” will still cut deep.

Rosenstock’s excellent album "POST-" is mostly political, and Rosenstock is not much for writing romantic songs. In truth, even "9/10" isn’t overtly about a relationship at all. That being said, a song that features Rosenstock somberly admitting, “nine times out of 10 I’ll be thinking of you” can certainly be reconfigured into how you see fit in a breakup context.

OK, we’re starting an upswing toward a (slightly) more cheerful conclusion to the mixtape. Granted, Bridgers never does anything that isn’t at least a little sad. “Scott Street” chronicles Bridgers walking through the streets of Los Angeles and randomly running into an ex. They make small talk. It’s a little awkward, but they both get through it. Everything will be fine. Don’t be a stranger.

What’s the final stage of grief? If you have any cultural knowledge, you probably know it’s acceptance. In “How Simple,” acceptance is the name of the game. Though frontwoman Frances Quinlan, who has a powerful voice, is frightened by how simple her heart can be, she’s come to a satisfactory conclusion about her relationship. We don’t know exactly what it is that she says we will both find out. The key is that we will both find out, though, “just not together.”

“Houses into Homes” absolutely rips as a song, but it also features Anika Pyle taking a real journey. At first, she’s dreaming of making houses into homes with her paramour. Then it all falls about, but Pyle comes to accept it. “I heard that you’re in love now babe,” she sings, “I hope that she’s the one.” Surely, the end of the relationship hurt, but there are no hard feelings. Everybody has moved on.

What do you do once you’ve moved on from heartbreak emotionally? Well, you dust yourself off and try again. “I Want to Believe” is the perfect pop punk song to encapsulate that. Maybe Lisa is too optimistic, but she’s not giving up. This next time could be the time that works. Even if you are feeling angry or disheartened this Valentine’s Day, there’s always next year.