# Roommates (Hilary Duff song)
"Roommates" is a song by the American singer and actress [Hilary Duff](https://www.edgepedia.org/hilary-duff), released on January 15, 2026 as the second single from her sixth studio album, *luck… or something*, which [Atlantic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-records) issued on February 20, 2026[1](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2026-01/Hilary%20Duff%20-%20_Roommates_%20-%201.16.26.docx.pdf). Co-written by Duff with her husband, the songwriter and producer [Matthew Koma](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-koma), and Brian Phillips, and co-produced by Koma and Phillips, the song addresses the drift of a long-term relationship and the wish to recover the spontaneity of earlier years[1](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2026-01/Hilary%20Duff%20-%20_Roommates_%20-%201.16.26.docx.pdf). It arrived as Duff's first run of new music in over a decade, following the lead single "Mature" (November 2025)[2](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hilary-duff-single-roommates-video-89837/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist | Hilary Duff, returning to music after 2015's *Breathe In. Breathe Out.*[3](https://apnews.com/article/e31006401688e11d74dd20ef110bcdd7) |
| Release | January 15, 2026, second single from *luck… or something* (Atlantic Records)[1](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2026-01/Hilary%20Duff%20-%20_Roommates_%20-%201.16.26.docx.pdf) |
| Length | 2 minutes 52 seconds[4](https://open.spotify.com/album/2nNElH8jprrtk67FtK0I2v) |
| Writers / producers | Hilary Duff, Matthew Koma, and Brian Phillips; co-produced by Koma and Phillips[1](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2026-01/Hilary%20Duff%20-%20_Roommates_%20-%201.16.26.docx.pdf) |
| Music video | Directed by Matty Peacock (Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande), streaming on YouTube[1](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2026-01/Hilary%20Duff%20-%20_Roommates_%20-%201.16.26.docx.pdf) |
| Session personnel | Allee Fütterer (bass), Cynthia Tolson (strings), Griffin Goldsmith (drums), Mitch McCarthy (mixer), Nathan Dantzler (masterer)[5](https://www.qobuz.com/au-en/album/roommates-hilary-duff/fb79utwyigony) |
| Physical release | "Roommates" 7-inch single, scheduled for May 29, 2026[6](https://store.warnermusic.com.au/products/roommates-7) |
## Release and background
"Roommates" appeared on January 15, 2026, roughly two months after "Mature" opened the *luck… or something* campaign and five weeks before the album itself[1](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2026-01/Hilary%20Duff%20-%20_Roommates_%20-%201.16.26.docx.pdf) • [2](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hilary-duff-single-roommates-video-89837/). The album is Duff's sixth studio record and her first since *Breathe In. Breathe Out.* in 2015[3](https://apnews.com/article/e31006401688e11d74dd20ef110bcdd7). In a statement accompanying the release, Duff described the song as "about when life is life-ing, babe," calling it "that ache for a wilder, freer time - before the days were swallowed by carpools, budget talks, grocery runs and letting old or new insecurities slip in"[1](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2026-01/Hilary%20Duff%20-%20_Roommates_%20-%201.16.26.docx.pdf).
The single's arrival was framed by a return to live performance: the sold-out "Small Rooms, Big Nerves" dates, Duff's first headline concert appearances in over a decade, began January 19, 2026 at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, with later stops in Toronto, New York City, and Los Angeles[1](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2026-01/Hilary%20Duff%20-%20_Roommates_%20-%201.16.26.docx.pdf).
## Composition and lyrics
The song is a synth-driven pop track about losing the spark in a long-term relationship. Rolling Stone described "bright, synth-heavy production reminiscent of Taylor Swift's 'Cruel Summer'" and quoted its opening lines: "I only want the beginning, I don't want the end / I want the part where you say goddamn"[2](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hilary-duff-single-roommates-video-89837/). Later lines name a dive-bar encounter and sneaking home late to "wake up your roommates"[2](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hilary-duff-single-roommates-video-89837/).
The frankness of the lyrics drew attention. In her Pitchfork review of the album, Olivia Horn called "Roommates" "a pining single about trying to stoke the embers of a long-term relationship" and heard in its "unvarnished lust and endearing self-consciousness" echoes of the singer-songwriter-comic [Audrey Hobert](https://www.edgepedia.org/audrey-hobert), of whom Duff is a fan[7](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/hilary-duff-luck-or-something/). Spanish-language coverage in LOS40 called it the most explicit and adult lyric Duff had published in her career[8](https://los40.com/2026/01/19/la-propuesta-mas-adulta-y-sexy-de-hilary-duff-en-el-video-de-roommates/), and Duff publicly responded to critics of the provocative lyrics in February 2026, saying she was not making music "for 7-year-olds"[9](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/hilary-duff-fires-back-critics-provocative-lyrics-says-not-making-music-7-year-olds.amp).
## Music video
The official music video, directed by Matty Peacock, shows Duff alongside a partner she is drifting apart from; it begins to rain as she makes a run for it, a visual Rolling Stone linked to her 2003 single "Come Clean"[2](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hilary-duff-single-roommates-video-89837/). [Marie Claire](https://www.edgepedia.org/marie-claire)'s promotional stills show Duff in a green sweater and sparkly skirt walking through a door with a window pane, drawn from the video shoot[10](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/music/hilary-duff-luck-or-something-music-taste-interview/).
## Reception
Critics placed "Roommates" among the album's standouts. The aggregate site Chorus.Reviews summarized reviews calling it "the best song" on *luck… or something*, standing out "for its aching vulnerability and honest portrait of long-term love"[11](https://chorus.reviews/albums/hilary-duff-luck-or-something). Rolling Stone's album review (80/100, by Maya Georgi) named "Roommates" and "Holiday Party" as tracks that "turn domestic anxieties into propulsive, memorable pop," and the magazine's Australian edition called it "her most vulnerable song to date"[11](https://chorus.reviews/albums/hilary-duff-luck-or-something) • [12](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/hilary-duff-luck-or-something-album-review-91384/).
A recurring thread in commentary was the song's resemblance to [Taylor Swift](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-swift)'s work: Exclaim! ran the headline "Hilary Duff Just Made the Best Taylor Swift Song in Years," and listeners repeatedly compared its synth-pop construction to "Anti-Hero"[13](https://exclaim.ca/music/article/hilary-duff-just-made-the-best-taylor-swift-song-in-years). The *Stars and Stripes* review of a February 2026 Duff concert described "Roommates," performed live, as "perhaps the most vulnerable track on Duff's new album"[14](https://publications.stripes.com/epaper/content/contingency_edition/2026/02/27/Friday27Feb2026.pdf).
## References
1. [Hilary Duff – "Roommates" press release, Atlantic Records (January 15, 2026)](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2026-01/Hilary%20Duff%20-%20_Roommates_%20-%201.16.26.docx.pdf)
2. [Angie Martoccio, "Hilary Duff's New Single Is About 'When Life Is Life-ing, Babe'", Rolling Stone (January 16, 2026)](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hilary-duff-single-roommates-video-89837/)
3. ["Music Review: Hilary Duff is a pop star reincarnate on 'Luck... or Something'", AP News (February 19, 2026)](https://apnews.com/article/e31006401688e11d74dd20ef110bcdd7)
4. [Roommates – Single by Hilary Duff, Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/album/2nNElH8jprrtk67FtK0I2v)
5. [Roommates, Hilary Duff – Qobuz credits](https://www.qobuz.com/au-en/album/roommates-hilary-duff/fb79utwyigony)
6. [Roommates 7" | Hilary Duff, Warner Music Australasia Store](https://store.warnermusic.com.au/products/roommates-7)
7. [Olivia Horn, "Hilary Duff: luck… or something Album Review", Pitchfork (February 20, 2026)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/hilary-duff-luck-or-something/)
8. ["La propuesta más adulta y sexy de Hilary Duff en el vídeo de 'Roommates'", LOS40 (January 19, 2026)](https://los40.com/2026/01/19/la-propuesta-mas-adulta-y-sexy-de-hilary-duff-en-el-video-de-roommates/)
9. ["Hilary Duff fires back at critics over provocative 'Roommates' lyrics", Fox News (February 25, 2026)](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/hilary-duff-fires-back-critics-provocative-lyrics-says-not-making-music-7-year-olds.amp)
10. ["Hilary Duff Is Ready to Soundtrack Your Next Era", Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/music/hilary-duff-luck-or-something-music-taste-interview/)
11. [luck… or something – Review Score aggregation, Chorus.Reviews](https://chorus.reviews/albums/hilary-duff-luck-or-something)
12. ["Hilary Duff Is Still Millennials' Guiding Light on 'Luck...or Something'", Rolling Stone Australia](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/hilary-duff-luck-or-something-album-review-91384/)
13. ["Hilary Duff Just Made the Best Taylor Swift Song in Years", Exclaim!](https://exclaim.ca/music/article/hilary-duff-just-made-the-best-taylor-swift-song-in-years)
14. [Stars and Stripes epaper, February 27, 2026](https://publications.stripes.com/epaper/content/contingency_edition/2026/02/27/Friday27Feb2026.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Pop songs › Pop songs of the 2020s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license