Dan + Shay Join Charlie Puth on New Breakup Song, ‘That’s Not How This Works’ [Listen]
Dan + Shay have joined pop star Charlie Puth on a brand-new song, “That’s Not How This Works.”
The mid-tempo song, which Puth wrote with Dan Smyers and Jordan Reynolds, centers around a person reeling from a breakup. He tries to move on, but his efforts fall flat as his ex continuously leads him on and hints at a romantic reconciliation.
“Thought the day you disappeared that it was over /Didn't even hear you leavin' / Saw you with someone and thought that it was closure / But you still tell me that you need me,” Puth reflects tenderly in the piano-led opening verse, before questioning, “Baby, why, tell me, why / Can't you just make up your mind? / Quit messin' with my head?”
The tempo kicks up a notch immediately as Puth declares in the pop beat-driven chorus, “You can't say you hate me, then call me when you're hurt / Baby, you know that's not how this works, no / That's not how this works / You can't walk away, then come back to what we were / Baby, you know that's not how this works, no / That's not how this works, no.”
Shay Mooney's signature vocals then arrive in the second verse to continue the heartbreak narrative.
“Stop remindin' me of when we said 'forever' / I know exactly what you're doin' / When you say, 'You need to drop off all my sweaters' / It's just one of your еxcuses,” Mooney sings, before imploring, “Baby, why, tell me, why / Can't you just makе up your mind? / Quit messin' with my head.”
Directed by Phillip R. Lopez, the accompanying music video brings this tumultuous relationship to life as Puth and his co-star Sabrina Carpenter depict what it’s like to be emotionally held hostage by a tormenting relationship.
“That’s Not How This Works” is the first new music Dan + Shay have released since their 2021 album, Good Things. The 12-song record includes “I Should Probably Go to Bed,” “10,000 Hours” with Justin Bieber, “Glad You Exist,” “Steal My Love” and their current single, “You.” In 2022, the pair also dropped two Christmas tracks, “Pick Out a Christmas Tree” and “Holiday Party.”
Most recently, Dan + Shay gave fans an update on what they’re working on.
“We’ve written songs, recorded songs, written more songs, recorded more songs, and feel so good about how things are shaping up. As soon as it’s ready, you’ll be the first to know,” they wrote in part on Instagram.