Welcome back to this week’s Music Review! Your trusted outlet for new music exploration! Held weekly on Wednesdays, Music Review is hosted by our amazing Music Directors, Alex and Rosie. It’s a special time for listening to new music of all genres and artists, followed by sharing our thoughts on what we heard (and any sneaky FCC’s)!
This week’s album is by an artist most people are familiar with, Phoebe Bridgers. The four-time Grammy winner and member of the trio boygenius released her third album, Lost Weekend, in early August. I’ve listened to her sophomore album, Punisher, a few times, and have always been captivated by her artistry. When Lost Weekend appeared at Music Review, I knew I was in for a treat!
Phoebe’s style can be described as acoustic tunes with electronic elements and heartfelt lyrics soaked in nostalgia. She’s a staple in the modern indie folk rotation, attracting a similar audience to that of Noah Kahan, Sufjan Stevens, and Clario. The Californian has been making music since she was 16, and has opened for Taylor Swift on her Eras Tour. Since the beginning, Phoebe’s career has been nothing but success.
Packed with 16 tracks, Lost Weekend opens with “The Outside”, a hauntingly beautiful track with an eerie and reflective-sounding Phoebe, distorted through the Vocaloid. This technique is also used in the opening track and “Lost Boys”, giving the impression that she’s on the other side of the screen, lost in the static, yet alive and present, brighter than ever.
Listeners tend to comment on the melancholic tone and sound of Phoebe’s music, saying things like “I only listen to Phoebe when I’m sad”. Lost Weekend proves to turn these comments right on their heads. The lead single, “Lost Boys,” brings a high-spirited and youthful energy with a danceable beat. Paying homage to the Lost Boys of Neverland, Phoebe nods to 3 immature adults in her life who turn to escapism and have never quite grown up. Balancing deep lyrics with a pop beat, Phoebe proves exactly why good things take time.
The first half of the album is stacked with hits, songs like “Bobby” and “The Governor’s Waltz” with catchy lyrics that make you listen closely. “Haunted” is a lovely folk song with warm strings and violin. I like each track individually, but with any album that has over 12 songs, they start to sound a bit similar. That might just be my weak attention span, though…
The album features Phoebe’s usual crew plus some new faces, including Jack Antonoff, Tony Berg, and the other ⅔ of boygenius: Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. Her man, Bo Burnham, also makes an appearance on the album as backing vocals. The character Bobby, who is referenced throughout the album, is believed to be Bo. The most notable feature, in my opinion, is Alex G’s coming in for production. There’s also some speculation that Cameron Winter of Geese made a guest appearance for backing vocals, being credited as Son-John Johnson. You can hear him during the final verses of “I Can’t Wait” and “Kill Me” singing “Tamam Shud”, meaning “the end” in Persian.
Phoebe is currently on the North America leg of the Lost Tour, with opener and album producer Alex G, making its stop in Detroit on October 3rd. The tour has caught some buzz lately surrounding the ‘no camera’s/photography’ rule. Upon entering the venue, concertgoers are asked to place their phones in a Yondr Case, which remains locked from the beginning of the show until the end. Those who are caught recording are asked to leave the venue. The idea behind this rule is to force attendees to be more present and to prevent unreleased music from being leaked. I personally love this rule, and it would be interesting to see more artists doing the same!
Favorite Tracks:
Lost Boys
Governor’s Ball
Kill Me
I Can’t Wait
Haunted
Liberty Tree
FCC Clean