WILL SWINTON SHARES BITTER TRUTH ON “BETTER OFF”
FOLLOWS THE FAN-DEMANDED “STRIPPED” VERSION OF HIS VIRAL TRACK “DAYDREAM” — WATCH HERE
February 13, 2026 – New Zealand alternative breakout Will Swinton wades deeper into his bold new era with “Better Off,” a heartfelt song that makes the heavy choice to let go of love that’s lingered too long. Listen HERE via 10K Projects / Capitol Records. The accompanying music video channels both the big feelings and up-close energy of the new single — watch HERE.
“Better Off” opens on a cold wind before we’re warmed by a glowing guitar and Will’s gravelly voice. It’s intimate at first, as he paints a vivid picture — “Don't want you to hurt anymore, it's tearing you apart just to hold me” — but the soon atmosphere darkens with distortion and driving drums as the truth rings out: “And I don't wanna lay here alone, but you're better off with him and I know it.” The song finds Will at his most conflicted—caught between the comfort of a familiar body and the weight of what it costs to return. It opens in a cold, spacious hush, letting silence do as much talking as the guitar.
Co-produced by Will with his frequent collaborators Ethan Schneiderman and Paul Phamous, the song embraces gritty, full-band instrumentation that matches the rising artist’s emotionally charged storytelling. The strikingly raw “Better Off” music video (directed by Brandon Chen, another go-to) finds Will and his band playing in a field at night within the footprint of a long-abandoned building.
The new single confirms that Will’s arrived at his own brand of rock music, unapologetically building atop the wintry acoustic beauty of his celebrated December EP, but without sacrificing an ounce of meaning or feeling. His evolution followed a deep songwriting sabbatical in Mexico that he recently described to Substream Magazine. Then, late last year, Will debuted his truest sound yet with the soaring “Find a Way,” which 1883 Magazine raved, “perfectly encapsulates a vision of ethereal rock centered on an exhilarating live performance and melody that you couldn’t forget if you tried.”
Due to fan demand, Will also brought his older song “Daydream” up to date, pairing a riveting vocal performance with spare, grungy guitar in the “Daydream (Stripped)” video — another Brandon Chen visual that underscores the music’s intense intimacy by placing Will out in the wilds. He sings into a mic whose cable snakes through the grass, while Ethan sits on top of his Fender amp.
Will’s star rose steeply across 2025. As he opened the year, PEOPLE championed him as an emerging artist to watch and called him “a star in the making.” Then, shortly after he wrapped his warmly received debut run of U.S. headliners, Kelly Clarkson performed a surprise “Kellyoke” cover of Will’s deeply pained Americana strummer “Flames” on The Kelly Clarkson Show — watch HERE. She also told her massive audience, “If you haven't heard his music yet, there is no time like the present. Look him up!” Then, in May, after opening for Myles Smith in Auckland, NZ, Will was pulled back onstage for an impromptu duet of Smith’s smash hit “Stargazing” — watch HERE.
All of that followed in the wake of December, a soul-baring mix of folk, rock, and indie-pop that Sweety High included in their “10 Big Things That Happened in Music” roundup, noting, “The EP explores all of the facets of a broken heart as [Will] works through all of the stages of grief, driven by his signature rich and raspy vocals that expertly convey the complex emotion of each moment.” The set also picked up love from Stereogum, Ones to Watch, Rolling Stone, and Atwood Magazine, who wrote of Will, “His impassioned voice is a beacon of breathtaking emotion, rising and falling with seasoned finesse as he channels his inner angst and turmoil into cathartic release.”
Already a mainstay on the Hot 20 New Zealand Singles Chart thanks to songs like “Daydream” (#5) and the undeniable 2024 folk-pop gem “Can’t Let Go” (#7), Will Swinton is emerging as a global force. Now stepping confidently into his next chapter, he’s carving out a space entirely his own.
Photo Credit: Nicole Masri
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