We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

On May 29, 2026, at Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, the Rainbros, the Gay Men's Chorus of Tampa Bay's smaller ensemble, brought a flash of sass to "Love in Technicolor" with Nicholas Wright's arrangement of Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." Soloist Cody Smith-Rollins fronted the number, his lead riding atop the tight knot of voices behind him.

Wright's chart strips the 2012 pop hit, written by Swift with Max Martin and Shellback, down to a nimble a cappella frame. Without a band to lean on, the ensemble itself becomes the rhythm section, snapping out the chugging eighth-note pulse with consonants and clipped vowel hits while the close harmonies stack into bright, slightly tart chords that mirror the song's eye-rolling defiance.

In performance, the Rainbros leaned into agility rather than volume. The "we" of the hook landed as a unison gut-punch before splintering into harmony, and the spoken-aside "like, ever" drew knowing grins from the singers themselves. Smith-Rollins delivered the lead with conversational ease, letting the lyric's exasperation bloom into full-throated release on each chorus, the small group locking behind him with crisp, well-tuned blend.

The church's warm, resonant acoustic flattered the bare-voice texture, giving the percussive syllables a satisfying ring without smearing the rapid-fire patter. The audience caught the joke early, clapping along by the second chorus and erupting at the final, emphatic cutoff. For a room that close, the intimacy of a handful of voices proved every bit as electric as a full ensemble.

Within the "Love & Heartbreak" arc, the song offered the night's gleeful kiss-off, the moment of reclaiming one's worth after a romance runs its course. It is heartbreak transformed into self-possession, and in the Rainbros' hands it became a small, joyful act of community, chosen family laughing together at love's worst exes.