Best Ex with Brian Rothenbeck

Best Ex is the solo project of New Jersey singer-songwriter Mariel Loveland, who previously fronted pop punk band Candy Hearts, sharing stages with the likes of Man Overboard, New Found Glory, and Weezer. She launched Best Ex in 2017, jumping headfirst into a full U.S. tour to support her EP Ice Cream Anti-Social. Since then, Loveland has released the EP Good At Feeling Bad (2020) and debut full-length, With a Smile (2023) — music that blends diary-like introspection and biting sarcasm, sitting at the edge of bedroom synthpop and high-gloss production. Her writing has earned acclaim from Billboard, Alternative Press, and Kerrang, with airplay on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6, and Idobi Radio. Good Girl (Iodine Recordings) marks Loveland’s return to guitars, trading synths for 90s-inspired sheen, without losing an ounce of her whip-smart lyricism.