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Heartbreak rarely keeps The High Plains Drifters from having a good time. Led by singer and lyricist Larry Studnicky, the band pairs heartfelt writing with dry humor, drawing on the melodic appeal of Triple A rock and the playful attitude of ’80s New Wave. Their new single “Funny About Love,” currently gaining traction at radio worldwide, explores the missed connections and misplaced hopes that make relationships both painful and funny. Beneath the wordplay is a familiar longing: to find love again after losing it, even when the next connection brings uncertainties of its own.
The project began over a boozy dinner at a Tex-Mex restaurant in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. The band’s 2019 self-titled debut introduced their blend of rock and pop, followed by the Greg Cohen-produced Songs of Love and Loss EP in 2021. Relationships supply plenty of material, from the excitement of a new connection to the indignities of wanting someone who does not quite want you back. Studnicky approaches those situations with affection and sarcasm, letting the jokes coexist with the sting of rejection.
“Funny About Love” began with its chorus. In a 2022 interview with Music Existence, Studnicky recalled having that section before he knew where the rest would go. Rather than force a tidy story, he followed words that suggested a melody. The absurd opening image of a broken heart ending up in a roommate’s stew unlocked the verses. “Once I had that part, everything else flowed organically,” he explained. He described the refrain as something of an homage to Elvis Costello and credited Cohen and his bandmates with transforming his initial idea.
Studnicky moves from the wreckage of one romance straight into the possibility of another, finding promise in something as simple as a shared appreciation for falling rain. French-tipped fingers prompt a joke about speaking French; attraction leaves him tongue-tied. The wordplay keeps things light as enthusiasm starts to outpace reality. When the woman tells him he is not her kind, a fleeting hope that more wine might change her mind gives way to an admission that he is chasing a fantasy.
“Funny About Love” gets its bite from the distance between recognizing a bad situation and doing anything about it. The High Plains Drifters find the comedy in seeing the warning signs and continuing anyway, still holding out for a different answer.
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