Mandy Moore sub-sings her ex husband on "When I wasn't watching"

I thought Mandy Moore had quit music for full-time acting, but here she is, with a new song. Her first in 10 years. And d'you know what? It's real nice.

Mandy's business isn't out there like that, but she had divorced her first husband of 6 years back in 2015. And with the lyrics of "When I was watching" speaking of isolation and losing oneself, there's every chance that the song is about how she felt at the point when she realised that her marriage was pulling her away from who she truly was and that shit was over. Which could also be the reason why she took a longer break from music that maybe she even expected.

I really like this song. But the part of me that picks apart production can't help but think 'If only this were a little bit tighter'. I really like the laid back vibe of the song and that it doesn't have a lot going on. But the hook feels like it doesn't soar the way I expected it to. I keep playing a version of the song in my head that's produced by Greg Kurstin, where the hook really hits and there's just a finesse that goes across the whole song. But that's me in my own world and my own head. This is still a really nice song and an unexpected return.