Out and proud, heartbreak loud — HERDD’s viral dance-pop track gets a bold remix from lifelong friend Overwork
When you’ve had enough of being someone’s emotional lifeline, you write a song like this. HERDD, the Montreal-born, Sudbury-based pop provocateur, teams up with U.K. remix artist Overwork (aka Matthew Smith) for a revamped take on his breakup anthem “Pick You Up.” The Overwork Remix lands with electrifying flair, dripping with catharsis, and booming with bass lines built for healing.
Set to a pounding pop/dance beat, the track lets HERDD (a.k.a. François Côté) drop the mask and reclaim his time. “It’s not my job / to pick you up,” he declares in the infectious hook, before driving it home with a cheeky mic-drop: “Seriously, go find a man / and if you don’t know how, there’s an app for that.”
But there’s depth behind the sass. “‘Pick You Up’ started out bitter,” HERDD explains. “It was about a very specific kind of person—someone who asks how you are just to pivot back to themselves. But over time, I began to feel more powerful than resentful. That inspired me to work on a new version that celebrated the empowerment hiding in the original track.” The result? A dancefloor confessional where boundaries are sacred, recovery is righteous, and queerness is a badge of pride.
Listen on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/track/2HbRbOoDbUkZ78fl7JP1md?si=46372132ad284347&nd=1&dlsi=934bd02f15454dbb
HERDD and Overwork’s friendship spans school days spent binging Murder She Wrote (yes, all 12 seasons plus the movies) and awkward teenage jam sessions in Overwork’s childhood home. “Matt was the first person I came out to,” HERDD says. “He just said ‘Cool!’ and we moved on. I’ll never forget how easy he made it for me to just be myself.”
Originally featured on HERDD’s 2024 debut album Afterlife, the track chronicles the messy aftermath of a one-sided relationship, set against the backdrop of HERDD’s post-pandemic self-reckoning. Now, with newly recorded vocals and an elevated soundscape, the Overwork Remix brings that story full circle—bitter turned bold, heartbreak transformed into clarity.
HERDD has long used music to explore identity, mental health, and resilience. “I was raised in a religious household that saw queerness as something to repent. I’ve carried a lot of that shame. But when I stopped trying to be ‘nice’ and started being real, that’s when I found real love—and real hate too. But that’s life. That’s what this song is about.”
If you’re looking for a track that hits hard on the dancefloor and in your soul, this is it.