King Princess’ ‘Change the Locks’ Is About a Partner ‘Prying at the Chip on My Shoulder’

The soft, ballad-like intro to King Princess’ new track “Change the Locks” doesn’t prepare listeners for the song’s emotional, explosive chorus, as she sings about the end of a relationship.

“So I guess it’s over/’Cause I’m hardly sober anymore/So I guess it’s over/I can hardly hold you anymore,” she sings. “So I guess you’re feeling/Like I steal your space/And you can’t be peaceful/When I’m in your face.”

King Princess opened up about the track, co-written with The National’s Aaron Dessner, in a recent interview with IndieLand. She said someone in the studio had described it perfectly: “it sounds like menstruating at Lilith Fair.”

“I was like, ‘Cunt!’ That’s exactly what I’m going for!” King Princess said. “It’s a journey.”

The Brooklyn native said the song, which IndieLand described as “one of the quieter tracks” on her forthcoming studio album Hold On Baby, is about a partner who’s “like a crowbar prying at the chip on my shoulder.”

“The idea behind that is being fucked up and young and not really taking care of myself or having any purpose other than selfishness and being crazy,” she said. “Having someone, or some creature, opens your heart to this idea that you don’t have to walk around with heaviness.”

King Princess’ new track follows the release of singles “Too Bad,” “Cursed,” “For My Friends,” and “Little Bother” with Fousheé. Hold On Baby is out July 29.