If the end of a relationship can be said to bring on the five stages of grief, David Longstreth is intent on wringing spectacular music from each of them. His first single from the next Dirty Projectors album — “Keep Your Name,” released last fall — was a searing bolt of anger. “Little Bubble,” a devastating new ballad, sits squarely in the category of depression. The song builds from a stark contrast. The first verse recalls the warmth and comfort of awaking beside a lover, “cradled by the dawn,” while the second paints this picture:

Morning

There’s no one else here

I’m alone and the coldOctober light hitsLike a black hole, growling gray pitThe sentry of emptiness

The chorus, simple and heartbreaking, hinges on one line: “We had our own little bubble, for a while.” In the video, Mr. Longstreth is pictured alone, in landscapes both lush and desolate, the picture of isolation. But the most potent thing about the song is its straightforward metaphor. There’s only one possible fate for a bubble, and he’s on the other side of it. NATE CHINEN

Brian Eno, ‘Reflection’