In the hands of an artist like ROZES, rapturous musings of love and affection are not taken lightly, emotions are high-stakes chess moves and anyone who dares to play should do so with extreme caution. Throughout her discography as an independent artist, the Philadelphia artist has cast herself through this air of earnest intensity, posing as the heroine of every bad breakup and heartbreak you’ve ever had. Her new single “Happy to See You Sad” is an intimate breakthrough after reliving heartbreak and the pettiness of a stubborn ex, a refreshing dose of ‘I don’t wish you well’ accompanied by swirling acoustic harmonies and a sultry guitar base, just the right amount of gust to call out her ex without sounding like she still cares. 

“Happy to See You Sad” isn’t about finding serenity or closure, her lyrics are biting jabs that let her ex know it isn’t about them anymore, however, airing on the side of full-throated vulnerability, it's also not a petty lovestruck ballad. Rather than wielding a post-breakup empowered narrative through a series of cliché and cheeky lyrics, she develops a sense of self-compassion by indulging in a selfish POV, a gesture that she has no problem broadcasting to the world as she sings, “I don’t wish you the best, might be fucked in the head but I don’t wish you well, you deserve all the hell that you get.” The single is grounded in a somber depth that, with a simple guitar line, feels melancholic. But the minimal production of the song is like the epiphany to a long journey of heedy contemplations of what happened and why, instead she gets rid of the background noise and watches the karmic cycle repeat itself without feeling bad about it, “I won't lie, I love watching your karma go bad, It makes me happy to see you sad.” 

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