Rather Be

Album: Before I Forget (2026)
Charted: 78 77
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Rather Be" is a track from The Kid Laroi's second album, Before I Forget, which documents the fallout from his July 2025 breakup with Tate McRae. While he aches for their physical closeness, his deeper longing is for the friendship they shared, the soul-deep connection that made her his "bestie."
  • The hook - "Rather be with you" – captures the difficulty of moving on from their deep connection. This fixation places the song squarely in the lineage of Laroi's greatest emotional hits, sitting somewhere between the raw abandonment of "Without You," the push-pull desperation of "Love Again," and the reluctant letting-go heard later on "A Cold Play."
  • The track includes a verse from Lithe (Josiah Ramel), an independent Melbourne-based artist whose contribution adds a second voice to the mourning process. His lines, centered on the idea that life will never feel the same, expand the song from a personal confession into a shared emotional disaster zone. Lithe's appearance also marks a step up into higher-profile territory following the success of his 2024 breakout "Fall Back," which won Most Performed Hip Hop/Rap Work at the 2025 APRA Music Awards.
  • Laroi and Lithe wrote "Rather Be" alongside Khaled Rohaim, Antonio Zito, Finatik, Zac, AuzTheKid, and Omid Khasrawy, with production handled by Rohaim, Dopamine, FNZ, and AuzTheKid, the latter being Laroi's younger brother, Austin Howard. Austin's role focused on drum programming, though his influence runs deeper than just beats. Laroi told iHeartRadio how much he values having his brother in the studio, calling it "really awesome" to share the process. Laroi praised his brother's artistic judgment implicitly, stating: "I send him everything I make... He'll always tell me. He'll be completely honest. If he loves a song, I really really trust it."
  • Laroi told iHeartRadio the breakup felt like a "death," going from best friends to strangers almost overnight, and that emotional chaos heavily influenced his songwriting on Before I Forget. Tracks like "A Cold Play" (released as the lead single in September 2025) act as a direct commentary on the split. "Rather Be" fits within this narrative arc, representing the phase where Laroi accepts the relationship is over but struggles with emotional residue and unresolved attachment.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Album Cover Inspirations

Album Cover InspirationsSong Writing

Some album art was at least "inspired" by others. A look at some very similar covers.

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Weezer

WeezerFact or Fiction

Did Rivers Cuomo grow up on a commune? Why did they name their albums after colors? See how well you know your Weezer in this Fact or Fiction.

Wedding Bell Blues

Wedding Bell BluesSong Writing

When a song describes a wedding, it's rarely something to celebrate - with one big exception.

Eric Burdon

Eric BurdonSongwriter Interviews

The renown rock singer talks about "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors Examined

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors ExaminedSong Writing

Doors expert Jim Cherry, author of The Doors Examined, talks about some of their defining songs and exposes some Jim Morrison myths.