âSheâs the voice of a really particular momentâ: how Phoebe Bridgers became her generationâs defining songwriter
The US songwriterâs third album has drawn rave reviews, she counts Taylor Swift as a fan and pop bears the imprint of her wit and
The US songwriterâs third album has drawn rave reviews, she counts Taylor Swift as a fan and pop bears the imprint of her wit and pathos. Her peers explain how she did it This week, indie star Phoebe Bridgers releases her long-awaited third album, six years since her pandemic-era breakthrough. Alongside a slew of glittering reviews for Lost Weekend, including five stars from the Guardian, with it comes her first solo charting single in the UK â although the Californian musicianâs influence runs far deeper than reviews or record sales could measure.
Just how did a RuneScape-referencing, Halloween-costumed Berklee drop-out become the most influential songwriter of the 2020s? Bridgersâ idiosyncratic writing has shaped the sound of the decade. Her second album Punisher, released in June 2020 (and recorded many months before), spookily anticipated that strange, lonely year: in her eerie double-tracked vocals (a nod to Bridgersâ musical hero, Elliott Smith), Bridgers sang of empty shopping malls and conspiracy theories over lush, unsettling music made from watery electric guitar, Mellotron, strings, screams and birdsong.
Today, Bridgersâ distinctive mix of dry wit and pathos is traceable in the lyrics of popâs new chart toppers, such as Olivia Rodrigo and Gracie Abrams, while heavyweights
across generations and genres, including Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift and SZA, have clamoured for collaborations. âShe is the reference now,â Swift told the Guardian in 2022. Continue reading...
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