Phoebe Bridgers – Lost Weekend – Album Review
by Killian Laher

Phoebe Bridgers is something of a phenomenon.  She has that rare thing: popularity and credibility.  This is a long-awaited follow-up to Punisher, six years later, and it definitely feels like something of a statement.  At 52 minutes and 16 tracks, there is a lot to take in, albeit some of them are ‘interludes’.  Indeed, the album opens with one of those – vocodered singing introduces The Outside before we get to hear ‘normal’ singing.  The first ‘proper’ song is Lost Boys, a really well-constructed song, starting out as a poppy, amiable strum which builds to something a crescendo three minutes in.

Kill Me is where the real meat of the album starts; it begins with moody singing over soft, almost twinkling guitars for three minutes or so and then it darkens again with a big, heavy drumbeat.  Yes, that is as good as that sounds.  On the other hand, The Governor’s Waltz is Bridgers in quiet mode; think Sufjan Stevens/ Elliott Smith with ghostly backing vocals and strings.

A change of tack for the bright, upbeat Bobby.  It sounds like a possible companion to Lost Boys, though the song collapses into itself towards the end, finishing in a bed of muted keyboards.  Later on, I Can’t Wait is another big pop song which ends somewhat abruptly.  Completely different is the mandolin-strummed Haunted, which has a real old-timey feel.

The more muted tracks fare very well.  The warped-sounding Panorama has lovely twinkling keyboards, while Still Standing manages to sound almost funereal yet still warm.  The haunting Liberty Tree opens with wobbly whistling, building to what seems like a full-on countrified track, before taking a left turn, ending with some gorgeous keyboards.

As for the interludes?  The banjo-laden Never Going Back Again features a voicemail from her father, and the downbeat Other Plans has Bridgers channelling God (!) (“ I remember the day I created the world, I got blood on my favourite shirt”).  The quiet, penultimate As Above is one of the best tracks here, starting out with spooked-out keyboards before swelling to a full-throated release mid-song before the intensity drops back again.

The album can be a bit samey, but about half of it is really good, and it will depend on your tastes which half!  She is torn between pushing for the mainstream and pulling towards the margins.  It will be interesting to see what she does next.

Lost Boys