Hemi Hemingway – This City’s Tryna Break My Heart: 13th Floor New Song Of The Day
Today, Hemi Hemingway (Waitaha, Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Mutunga) releases new single ‘This City’s Tryna Break My Heart’, from his forthcoming album Wings of Desire, out Friday 20 February via PNKSLM Recordings.
Here is the blurb with more:
Written in the months following the end of a ten year relationship, ‘This City’s Tryna Break My Heart’ captures some of Hemi’s most vulnerable songwriting.
Grief was still unfolding amidst the arrival of new romantic attention. Aware of someone else’s interest and unsure how to meet it, Hemi says “I was dubious, guarded and nervous to even attempt to reciprocate feelings.” As he began to tackle the questions, it seems the answers revealed themselves, as he explains “I was trying to figure out just what I could give to this person, when all of a sudden my phone stopped lighting up.”
The story sits in this ambiguous space that ends without clarity but a clear shift in direction, reflected by a slinky and pulsing energy that creates a complimentary sonic pull.
The single continues the thematic arc established by previous releases from Wings of Desire, an album written during a turbulent period following Hemingway’s return to Aotearoa in 2022. Across the record, he explores longing, disconnection, and identity.
Following earlier singles ‘(To Be) Without You’, ‘Wings of Desire’, and ‘Oh, My Albertine (feat. Vera Ellen)’, the new track offers another perspective on the album’s core concerns – focusing not on the intensity of desire, but on moments where it’s quietly withdrawn.
Wings of Desire by Hemi Hemingway
Out Friday 20 February 2026
Pre-order HERE
