A good love song can be a thing of absolute joy. It can fill the heart with warmth and resurrect long-gone cherished moments: The song that was playing the first time you were kissed, the song that was playing in the restaurant the day you got engaged, the song you danced to at your wedding. For fear of quoting Paul McCartney, what’s wrong with that? Absolutely nothing.

However, let’s be honest: The love-gone-wrong songs are the most fun. Sure, John Legend’s “All of Me” is a moving work of beauty, but sometimes, you just want to scream Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” at the top of your lungs. Come Valentine’s Day, some people are looking for just the right mood music for a romantic evening, while others are looking for something a bit more … cathartic.

For those folks, there are any number of options – we’ve made numerous recommendations in the past – but local country artist Stan Matthews’ recent take on post-punk legends Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” should definitely be on your playlist.

It’s a stripped down rendition, where Matthews channels the song's sense of disorientation – best captured in late singer Ian Curtis’ vocals – and brings it down to a rough, human level. The song’s original version may well be the gold standard for anti-Valentine’s sentiments, but Matthews here presents a rendition that’s both grounded and wistfully affecting.  

In a lot of ways, Matthews has found a country song nestled in the heart of the 1980 classic. Lines that radiate a sort of detached disaffection in the original seem here brooding and heartbroken: “When routine bites hard,” sings Matthews, drawing out each line slowly, “And ambitions are low/And resentment rides high/But emotions won't grow/And we're changing our ways/Taking different roads/Then love, love will tear us apart again/Love, love will tear us apart again.”