Yebba’s “Boomerang” is a heartbreaking story of betrayal, violence, and falling apart. Yebba told The New York Times that she wrote the song about a friend’s toxic relationship when she met Mark Ronson. Yebba’s friend was going thru domestic violence after a child, and she wanted to get into the shock of seeing someone you love in another space, and the rage that goes with that.
The song illustrates just how horrifyingly specific mental rage can be. Yebba talks about the kind of extreme thoughts that can pop into your head when you’ve been betrayed, and the effects and the questions they raise. “Boomerang” is disturbing in part because it’s less about violence than about how anger can dominate thought. The story is about karma, not about acting out of rage.
This song is about shock and anger and restraint. “Boomerang” is the awkward place between overreacting and acting. The inspiration behind Yebba weighs down the song, but the psychological aspect comes from the betrayal feeling. The protagonist is angry, but knows that consequences are not personal. ‘Boomerang’ is a painful relationship story, about anger and betrayal, and the hard work of karma.
