This marks her 10th studio album and a deeply personal artistic resurgence. The track debuted June 26 with a hauntingly cinematic video directed by Lauren Wade, setting the tone for an album steeped in vulnerability, resilience, and emotional reckoning.
Recorded at the legendary Sound City Studios in Los Angeles, “Better Broken” is shaped by producers Tony Berg and Will Maclellan, who infuse McLachlan’s signature songwriting with a modern, layered soundscape. The album features a roster of iconic session musicians including Wendy Melvoin, Matt Chamberlain, Benny Bock, and Greg Leisz. A special guest appearance by Katie Gavin of MUNA on the track “Reminds Me” adds a fresh, intimate texture to the collection.
Lyrically, McLachlan dives into themes of loss, survival, and the grace of letting go. Reflecting on both personal pain and global unease, she asks: “How do we move through this landscape? How do we keep our heads above water when it feels like so much is falling apart?” In an interview, she shared the moment of self-realization behind the title track: “Better off on my own… stronger on my own, and I’m actually just fine. That realization… is really important.” The song becomes a quiet battle cry, turning brokenness into strength.
The album’s 11 tracks include “Gravity,” a moving piece inspired by her relationship with her daughter, and “One in a Long Line,” a defiant anthem about female perseverance. “Reminds Me,” her duet with Gavin, shimmers with melancholic pedal steel and emotional honesty. From “Only Human” to “Wilderness” to the cinematic closer “If This Is the End…,” the album reads like a journey through shadow into light.
This release comes after McLachlan’s own near silence in 2024 when severe laryngitis almost ended her singing career. She postponed her Fumbling Towards Ecstasy anniversary tour and underwent months of vocal rest. The voice that returns on “Better Broken” is changed—but she says it’s stronger and more resonant, both sonically and spiritually.
Sarah McLachlan’s “Better Broken” is more than a song—it’s a statement about what it means to live through fracture and come out the other side. It doesn’t ask for perfection. It honors the beauty in damage, the growth in grief, and the art that emerges from being cracked open. The title track stands as a slow-building anthem for the broken and brave, reminding us all that some things are, in fact, better that way.
You can grab your copy of the song or pre-order the entire album over on Amazon and iTunes.
