Lily Allen was alone in a London hotel room when David Harbour called. Nothing would be the same.

Lily Allen was unlocking the front door to her New York brownstone with her husband, David Harbour, when her phone rang.

It was good news – the British singer had booked a role in the play 2:22 A Ghost Story on London's West End.

Excited, she rushed to tell Harbour. But when she explained she'd have to travel to London for the play, he wasn't happy.

Allen and her two daughters — Ethel and Marnie from her previous marriage — had moved to New York to be with Harbour, and it seemed he didn't want her to leave. But the singer couldn't pass up the professional opportunity, so she packed her bags and flew to London.

It was here, alone in a hotel room, that she received another phone call — her husband wanted to open their marriage.

Little did Allen know, this was just the start of her marriage falling apart.

The whole story has become Allen's new album West End Girl, where she details what she calls their "unevenly open marriage".

Lily Allen and David Harbour in 2023. Image: Getty.

Why is everyone talking about Lily Allen's new album, West End Girl?

Released on Friday, West End Girl is Allen's first album in seven years. Across its 14 tracks, the 40-year-old chronicles her marriage breakdown in vivid detail.

"I'm nervous. I've gone back and forth over whether to release this. It's inspired by very personal episodes from my life," Allen said about the album, as per The Sun.

"The record is very vulnerable because it depicts something many of us go through and fear — a break-up."

Allen said that she used the album, which took just 10 days to write, to document the events that have led her to who she is today.

"I've used shared experiences as the basis for songs which delve into why we humans behave as we do. So the record is a mix of fact and fiction."

Listen to The Quicky unpack Lily Allen's new album here. Post continues below.

Is Lily Allen's new album about David Harbour?

If the song lyrics are anything to go by, yes.

The first track, 'West End Girl', details Allen telling her partner she booked a play in London, and his reluctance to let her go.

She sings: "Later that evening, you said, 'How was my day?' I said 'I got some good news, I got the lead in a play'. That's when your demeanour started to change."

The song ends with Allen's partner asking her for an open relationship while she is in London. The 40-year-old is hesitant, but agrees.

"I mean it makes me really sad but… I want you to be happy."

Lily Allen has released her first album in seven years. Image: Getty.

In a song called 'Dallas Major', she confesses that she tried dating apps, but her heart was never in it.

"I go by 'Dallas Major' on the dating apps, but that's not really my name. You know, I used to be quite famous. That was way back in the day," she sings.

"Yes, I'm here for validation. And I probably should explain how my marriage has been open since my husband went astray. I'm almost nearly 40 and just shy of 5'2. I'm a mum of teenage children. Does that sound like fun to you?"

The fourth track, 'Tennis', details the night Allen discovered her partner had broken the rules of their arrangement.

"Daddy's home for the first time in weeks. Got the dinner on the table, tell the kids it's time to eat. I made my baby's favourite, but he didn't seem to care. I just tell myself he's jet-lagged and I'm glad to have him here."

Allen then recounts how her partner quickly snatched his phone back after showing her a photo on Instagram.

"So I read your text, and now I regret it," she sings. "I can't get my head 'round how you've been playing tennis. If it was just sex, I wouldn't be jealous. You won't play with me."

Allen goes on to use a pseudonym for the woman her partner was texting, singing "Who the f**k is Madeline?"

In the following track, actually called 'Madeline', Allen sings directly to the titular character, asking her how long the affair had been going on for, and if there was emotion involved.

"We had an arrangement. Be discreet and don't be blatant. There had to be payment. It had to be with strangers. But you're not a stranger, Madeline."

Watch: Lily Allen's 'Madeline' came forward. Post continues after video.

But, if the rest of the album is anything to go by, Madeline was just the tip of the iceberg in Allen's relationship breakdown.

In the song 'P—sy Palace', the singer recalls finding out her husband had rented an apartment in the West Village for his affairs.

"I didn't know it was your p—y palace… I always thought it was a dojo… So am I looking at a sex addict?"

Later in the song, Allen describes finding a shoebox of handwritten letters from "brokenhearted women wishing you could have been better", along with sex toys and hundreds of condoms.

"Sheets pulled off the bed, they're strewn all on the floor. Long black hair, probably from the night before," she sings. "Sex toys, butt plugs, lube inside. Hundreds of Trojans, you're so f—ing broken. How'd I get caught up in your double life?"

In the track 'Beg Me For', Allen questions why her partner won't fight for her to stay.

"I feel embarrassed, I feel ashamed. You're so indifferent and that's insane. Where's all your empathy for, for all my pain? My friends all tell me you are deranged."

The songwriter uses the penultimate track, 'Let You Win', to seemingly explain why she released the album to begin with.

"I can walk out with my dignity if I lay my truth on the table. Lie to the children, the ending was mutual, I'll shoulder all of the pain."

And in the final track, 'Fruityloop', she admits: "Wish I could fix all your sh*t, but all your sh*t's yours to fix."

Lily Allen and David Harbour separated in February this year. Image: Getty.

When did Lily Allen and David Harbour get married?

Lily Allen and David Harbour tied the knot in Las Vegas in 2020. The wedding was officiated by an Elvis Presley impersonator and followed by In-N-Out burgers.

The couple were first linked in 2019 after meeting on a dating app while Harbour was filming Black Widow in London.

During their four-year marriage, Harbour became stepfather to Allen's two daughters — Ethel and Marnie — from her previous marriage to Sam Cooper.

The couple separated in February this year after four years of marriage, as confirmed by multiple sources to PEOPLE.

This article was originally published in February 2025 and has since been updated with new information.

Feature Image: Getty.