What do you get when the internet’s softest sad boy and the jazz girl of the moment record a duet? A breakup ballad dressed like a black-and-white dream sequence, apparently. Role Model (aka Tucker Pillsbury) just dropped the video for “The Longest Goodbye,” his aching collab with Laufey, and it might be one of the most visually and emotionally tuned-in pop moments of the year. Shot in grainy grayscale and dripping with mid-century melancholy, the Neema Sadeghi–directed video reimagines the track as a vintage TV performance. Tucker and Laufey trade verses like two ex-lovers trapped in a lounge act, barely holding it together under the lights.
The song originally appeared solo on Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye) — the deluxe reissue of Tucker’s heartbreak-heavy sophomore album — but the duet adds dimension. Laufey’s voice lands like a sigh after a fight, softening the edges of Role Model’s ache. Together, they don’t wallow in the sadness — they own it, bow-tied and mic’d up like it’s Saturday night at some melancholy cabaret for the extremely online.
It also arrives at a moment when Tucker’s everywhere: VMAN digital cover, Citi Concert Series, and two sold-out MSG shows with Gracie Abrams. And let’s not forget the upcoming festival run (hi, ACL and Lolla). But what makes “The Longest Goodbye” land is how little it tries to “go big.” It’s intimate, restrained, and quietly devastating — the kind of pop we don’t get enough of anymore.
So, if you’re still nursing that breakup from last year, or just want to watch two beautiful people harmonize while your heart cracks in 4K — this one’s for you.
