"Break It Off"
Single by PinkPantheress
from the album To Hell with It
Released4 June 2021
Genre
Length1:35
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
PinkPantheress singles chronology
"Just a Waste"
(2021)		 "Break It Off"
(2021)		 "Pain"
(2021)

"Break It Off" is a song by English singer-songwriter PinkPantheress. It was officially released on 4 June 2021 through Elektra and Parlophone Records, as the lead single from her debut mixtape To Hell with It. An uptempo drum and bass and experimental pop song about heartbreak, it was written and produced by PinkPantheress and Adam F, and samples F's song "Circles". A snippet of the song went viral on TikTok, and it subsequently peaked at number 74 on the UK Singles Chart and at number 30 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. A visualizer for the song was directed by Malt Disney and released on 21 June 2021.

Background and composition

"Break It Off" is an uptempo,[1] "heartbreak-infused" drum and bass[2] and experimental pop song with "sugary" vocals[3] from PinkPantheress, who wrote and produced the song while she was at university,[4][5] which samples the drum and bass song "Circles" by English DJ Adam F.[6] DIY's Chris Taylor described it as "a tale of late-night yearning", and Steffanee Wang of Nylon called it "a dizzying mix of breakbeats and edgy pop elements".[7][8] After PinkPantheress posted a clip of the song to TikTok in March, it went viral and was used in over 500,000 videos on the platform.[9]

Reception and commercial performance

David Renshaw of The Fader called "Break It Off" "an algorithm-breaking bolt from the blue, destined to be played on repeat throughout the summer months".[6] Douglas Greenwood of i-D called the song an "earworm" while Complex's Seamus Fay described it as a "fast-paced, oddball single".[5] Stereogum's Chris DeVille described the song as a "playfully flirtatious melodic flutter", with Steffanee Wang of Nylon stated that it was "a great primer for the unpinnable vibe of [PinkPantheress's] vibe: simultaneously new and nostalgic."[10][8] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called the song "elegant in [its] own right" and wrote that it "encapsulate[s] the enthusiasm and thrill of listening to someone else's elegant song, one that rousts you from your shell and thrusts you into your own joy or sadness".[11]

"Break It Off" peaked at number 74 on the UK Singles Chart and at number 30 on Billboard's Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.[12][13]

Music video

A visualizer for "Break It Off", directed by Malt Disney, was released on 21 June 2021. The video uses footage of demolition, car crashes, and memes with "abstract" animations superimposed over it.[9] PinkPantheress called the visualizer a "doozy".[5]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[4]

  • PinkPantheress – vocals, songwriting, production, programming, mastering
  • Adam F – songwriting, production, programming, engineering, mixing
  • Stuart Hawkes – mastering

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Break It Off"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[15] Gold 40,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[16] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Gardner, Alex; Moore, Jacob; Gaffney, Greg; Fay, Seamus (27 April 2021). "Best New Artists". Complex. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  2. ↑ Chiew, Isaac; Soo, JX (12 July 2021). "NME Radio Roundup 12 July 2021: Arlo Parks, Billie Eilish, Big Red Machine and more". NME. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  3. ↑ Solomon, Kate (14 October 2021). "Album reviews: Finneas and PinkPantheress". i. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  4. 1 2 "PinkPantheress – Break It Off". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Greenwood, Douglas (21 June 2021). "PinkPantheress is the musician dominating TikTok's DIY scene". i-D. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  6. 1 2 Maicki, Salvatore; Darville, Jordan; D'Souza, Shaad; Renshaw, David; Elder, Sajae (24 June 2021). "10 songs you need in your life this week". The Fader. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  7. ↑ Taylor, Chris (15 October 2021). "PinkPantheress – To Hell With It". DIY. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  8. 1 2 Wang, Steffanee (1 October 2021). "PinkPantheress Announced Her Debut Mixtape — And It Looks Spooky". Nylon. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  9. 1 2 Kent-Smith, Jasmine (21 June 2021). "PinkPantheress releases video for TikTok hit 'Break It Off'". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  10. ↑ DeVille, Chris (11 October 2021). "The PinkPantheress Debates Have Already Begun". Stereogum. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  11. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (19 October 2021). "PinkPantheress's Slivers of Dance-Pop Play With Memory Like a Toy". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  12. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  13. 1 2 "Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs". Billboard. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  14. ↑ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  15. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Pinkpantheress – Break It Off". Music Canada. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  16. ↑ "British single certifications – Pinkpantheress – Break It Off". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
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