Roommates

"Roommates" by Malcolm Todd is a poignant exploration of the transitional phase following a breakup, focusing on the loss of identity and the jarring shift from intimacy to estrangement. The title itself serves as a central metaphor: it ironically contrasts the deep domestic intimacy the narrator craves (sharing "an apartment, a room, and a bed") with the current reality where they are less than strangers, or perhaps merely two people occupying the world separately like distant roommates.

The lyrics delve into the concept of entangled identity. When Todd sings, "I'm losing the person I was when I found you," he touches on a profound psychological truth about relationships: we often build our self-image around our partners. The breakup, therefore, isn't just the loss of a person, but the death of a version of oneself. The line "Am I acting different when I'm not around you?" highlights the disorientation of trying to exist autonomously after being part of a unit.

Furthermore, the song addresses the futility of rebounding. The narrator describes going on dates but "hanging his head," illustrating that physical presence with a new person cannot mask the emotional absence of the former lover. The recurring plea to "help me through" suggests a lingering dependency, acknowledging that "learning to lose" is an active, painful process that requires skill and endurance, something society rarely prepares young adults for.

The song opens with a reflection on the uncontrollable nature of time and circumstance. The narrator feels trapped in situations he didn't actively choose, acknowledging a mutual desire between him and his partner to apologize for a breakdown they cannot stop. He observes that his partner has been doing okay but is gradually withdrawing, losing the time and energy she once had for him and their conflicts. Resigned to this reality, he declares that he is finished writing songs for her, marking this track as his final offering.

In the second verse, the narrator grapples with a loss of identity. He confesses that he is losing the person he was when he first found his partner, questioning if he behaves differently when she isn't around. He admits to being dramatic about his feelings of loss but expresses a desperate desire to show her his personal growth and the things he has been achieving. He describes going on dates with others but feeling defeated, hanging his head in the process. His true desire remains specific and domestic: he wants to share an apartment, a room, and a bed with her. He yearns to profess his love but feels she is out of reach. He concludes the verse with a poignant lesson, stating that he is "learning to lose," a skill he notes is never taught in school.

The bridge highlights the finality of their separation. He realizes he cannot take her home because she has made it clear she won't go with him. Consequently, he resolves to leave alone. The song ends with a repeated, aching admission that even when he tries to be with someone else, he will still miss her, asking for help to get through the lingering pain of her absence.

"Roommates" was released on June 22, 2023, and played a pivotal role in launching Malcolm Todd's music career. The song was co-written and produced by Malcolm Todd (born Malcolm Hobert) and his collaborator Charlie Ziman. At the time of its creation, Todd was a student at the University of Oregon, experimenting with music production in his bedroom—a setting that heavily influenced the track's intimate, "bedroom pop" aesthetic.

The track gained significant traction on TikTok prior to and following its official release. Todd utilized the platform to tease the song, often highlighting its catchy guitar riffs and relatable lyrics about heartbreak. The viral success of "Roommates," alongside his other single "Art House," drew the attention of major industry executives, directly leading to Todd signing with Columbia Records. In interviews, Todd has mentioned that the song was inspired by his real-life experiences with relationships in his early twenties, capturing the specific angst of young adulthood. He later included the track on his 2024 mixtape project, Sweet Boy.

The song utilizes a mix of perfect and slant rhymes, often falling into an AABB or AAAA monorhyme structure within verses to build momentum. For example, the second verse heavily relies on the "-oo" sound:

• found you / around you (Perfect feminine rhyme)
• losing / doing (Slant rhyme)

Rhythmically, the lyrics are delivered with a syncopated flow that locks in with the guitar strums. The phrasing is conversational, often starting slightly off-beat, which gives the song its relaxed, "slacker" feel despite the emotional weight. The meter is roughly iambic but very loose, prioritizing the groove of the R&B instrumentation over strict poetic meter. The tempo is a moderate, head-nodding 110 BPM (approx), creating a walking pace that matches the narrative of "going on dates" and moving forward.

Musical Techniques:

• Groovy, Syncopated Guitar Riffs: The song is built around a catchy, clean-tone electric guitar progression that draws heavily from Alternative R&B and Neo-Soul. The style invites frequent comparisons to Steve Lacy, utilizing jazzier chord voicings (like major 7ths and minor 9ths) rather than standard pop triads.
• Vocal Delivery: Todd employs a laid-back, almost conversational vocal style that slides into a smooth falsetto. This delivery emphasizes the vulnerability and exhaustion of the narrator.
• Lo-Fi/Bedroom Production: The production retains a raw, organic feel characteristic of the "bedroom pop" genre, which enhances the intimacy of the lyrics. The drums are crisp but not over-processed.

Literary Techniques:

• Rhetorical Questions: "Am I acting different when I'm not around you?" forces the listener to engage with the narrator's internal crisis.
• Juxtaposition: The upbeat, groovy instrumental contrasts sharply with the melancholic lyrics ("I'm hanging my head"), creating a "sad bop" dynamic where the vibe is chill but the content is devastating.

"Roommates" is a definitive track in the post-2020 wave of Bedroom Pop/Alternative R&B. Its success highlights the power of TikTok in breaking artists; the song's viral nature was instrumental in transitioning Malcolm Todd from a college student to a signed artist with Columbia Records. It has garnered over 160 million streams on Spotify, solidifying Todd's place alongside contemporaries like Steve Lacy, Dominic Fike, and Omar Apollo. The song resonates deeply with Gen Z listeners for its honest depiction of modern "situationships" and the confusion of early adulthood dating.

The song employs domestic imagery and spatial metaphors to convey emotional distance.

• The Title "Roommates": While not explicitly sung in the chorus, the concept represents the de-romanticization of a relationship. It suggests a proximity that lacks intimacy—the tragedy of two people who know each other deeply now just existing in parallel, or the longing for the domestic bliss of being roommates (living together) which is now impossible.
• "Six feet four without my shoes" (referenced in other works but relevant to his persona): While this specific lyric is from "Rodrick Rules," the vulnerability in "Roommates" similarly strips away the bravado of physical presence (going on dates) to reveal internal defeat ("hanging my head").
• "Learning to lose": This phrase acts as a metaphor for maturity. Losing isn't presented as a failure of the game, but as a skill or a subject "they don't teach you." It reframes heartbreak as an educational, albeit painful, rite of passage.
• Sharing "an apartment, a room, and a bed": This progression from the general (apartment) to the specific (bed) symbolizes the layers of intimacy he is grieving—social, domestic, and physical/sexual.

"I'll still miss you": This phrase is repeated in the outro, transforming from a statement of fact into a mantra of grief. Its repetition signifies the cyclic nature of missing someone—it doesn't just happen once; it happens every time he tries to move on.

"I'm losing" / "Learning to lose": The motif of "loss" recurs throughout the track. It shifts from losing a person, to losing oneself, to the active process of "learning to lose." This progression turns the concept of loss from a passive event into an active state of being that the narrator must inhabit.