Phoebe Bridgers is an artist who likes to make us wait. But she acknowledges that time spent with albums that reward obsession. In a world where immediacy is the name of the game, Bridgers’ commitment to contemplative and unrushed artistry is part of what makes her a marvel. The other part is her uniquely positioned storytelling and near-hushed vocals that somehow hit with the weight of a thousand tons. Both of those facts are proven with her forthcoming release, Lost Weekend.
Grief, Love, and Lost Time on Phoebe Bridgers’ Latest Album
The wait was long. We haven’t had a solo album from Bridgers since 2020’s Punisher. But, even then, this record makes the time worth it. The title seems to be a reference to John Lennon’s famous remarks on his fleeting relationship with May Pang (which she drives home with the lyric on the title track, Surviving my gift / until I get shot). The lost time Bridgers seems to be speaking about, however, refers to the years fans have not had her music and have effectively been left out of the loop about her life.
Now, with the puzzle pieces fitted together thanks to this album, we’re keyed into the fact that Bridgers has experienced historic lows and highs. While battling grief, she’s fallen in love. Those diverging ideas go hand in hand on this record, taking turns with the reins until they exhaust themselves and let the other drive for a while.
She soars to new heights with anthems like “Bobby”. That track is a heart-pumping love song with perhaps the grittiest guitars Bridgers has employed yet. Along with the previously released single, “Lost Boys,” this track feels like it has pop crossover potential. Similarly, “Liberty Tree” is a needed reprieve from the emotions across the rest of the album. These songs stand out from the others in stark relief. They highlight the push and pull of life and make this an album for any space the listener finds themselves in.
The Mystery of “Lost Weekend’
The opening track is a vocoder-filtered eulogy about Bridgers’ father, who passed away in 2022. “Crying in a suit and tie / But you should see the other guy / One more time for old time’s sake / I’ll watch him get carried away,” she sings in the opening verse, immediately washing the listener in her singular songwriting voice, which marries pain with the sort of ambivalence it takes to shed its weight.
Elsewhere, she recalls her childhood in “Still Standing”. She offers details that make the listener feel a bit on the outside yet engrossed all the same. “You tried to make me afraid / We were both shining / Feeling indifferent, wearing black / Sometimes I want you back / But not today,” she sings. This song, and largely the rest of the tracklist, highlights one of the most stunning things about this record: it doesn’t function like it’s meant to be fully understood.
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Bridgers has never been afraid to drop the listener into a scene and let them find their own footing. While she also has songs that are narratively digestible, with backstories and subtext, others are beautifully obscured. The latter seems to be the direction she’s taken on this record. The writing on this album brings you back over and over, wanting to uncover the clues you missed.
Connective Tissue of ‘Lost Weekend’
This record is full of clues, actually. From reprises to little sonic nods to other songs, this album feels like the culmination of something in Bridgers’ artistry. It feels like the finale of sorts to the saga Bridgers has built across her three albums. She seems to have mastered her musicality here, both in sound and lyrics. Where she’s always been introspective, she digs even deeper. Where she’s layered production, she piles more on. She cracks the door even wider, letting more light in than ever before. This album is Bridgers at her most talented, settling more fully into herself than ever before.
(Photo by: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)
The post Review: Phoebe Bridgers Builds a Beautiful Mystery on ‘Lost Weekend’ appeared first on American Songwriter.
Author: Alex Hopper
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