Phoebe Bridgers: Losing my mind to ‘Lost Weekend’
Phoebe Bridger's newest album ‘Lost Weekend’ crash landed on all streaming platforms on the 14th of August and boy have we all been waiting. Bridgers last album ‘Punisher’ released way back in 2020 has gone triple platinum in my headphones, I have been waiting six years for some more depression dependent tunes and the day has finally arrived.
Whilst writing I have only listened to the first four tracks (Just finished the album and I'm certifiably not okay) and I’m already ascending into the stratosphere. Before even announcing her newest sad girl summer album Bridgers delighted fans with secret pop up shows around the US (UK girly’s are not pleased) with all locations seemingly connecting to famous UFO sightings. Roswell, New Mexico, and Lubbock, Texas to name a few. I’m just saying we have Rendlesham Forest so she definitely could have swung by…
Speculations arose that the new album could potentially contain themes of the extraterrestrial, Alienation and all things astrological. Upon listening to the first track ‘The Outside’ I can confirm that theory tracks. The lyrical themes heavily lean toward concepts of isolation and loss of human connection- with Bridgers exploring her relationship with fame and the dissociation that comes along for the ride. It could also possibly be a nod to the rise of AI within the music industry as there are a lot of techno elements in the vocal production (specifically in the opening track).
Bridgers utilises said crisp techno vocal overlay which creates a robotic feel to the opening track. In the first few bars of the song ‘The Outside’ a transmitter feed is panned across the track, making the song feel like some kind of message from space. A transmission to earth. It's a hauntingly beautiful opener and feels like the distant cousin to Bridger’s ‘Moon song.’ ‘I dive into the ground and the crowd never let me hit the ground,’ is clearly a nod to fan culture and the split love and hate that fans seem to bring to musicians' fan bases. To us Bridgers is the epi-center of the fandom- we orbit her; whether that be for her electric instrumentals or the double entendres intertwined in her lyrics. ‘The Outside.’ almost feels like Bridger's way of telling us the disconnect she feels from her fans and how many musicians feel the need to play the part, removing segments of themselves to fit a narrative that others have placed on them. The line ‘I’m on the outside,’ a rather dissociative piece of lyrical work, further pushes Bridger's message that yes she understands the pedestal that we the fans place her on, But also how she doesn’t feel like she belongs there. It's a great opener with a strong message about the parasocial relationships between fans and artists and it smashes the themes of the album into our ears in the first few lines. Or I could be totally wrong! Who knows ;) But I have a feeling this album is going to be one of Bridger's most honest collections of songs and I cannot wait to delve deeper into ‘Lost Weekend.’
The overall sound feels very astrological and what I mean by that is it transcends what is relative to normal ‘pop music’ production. It's messy and experimental, shifting; up, down, left, right, back and forward in the mix, lacking any type of grounding centre- almost like the music is floating in space, not defined by gravity or proper placement. Which normally would be quite jarring but it totally works in Bridgers favour. Especially in the title track ‘Lost Weekend,’ which starts off as a gentle folk song with beautiful synths guiding Bridger’s soft vocals. It then evolves into this emo techno track, with plucked strings and faders bouncing back and forth. This is also accompanied with breathy vocalisations that pan left to right which evokes a sense of panic and overstimulation, again highlighting the loss of self that many musicians experience. The song ends with a warbling ‘alien eques’ jabbering which further pushes the themes of isolation and dissociation from the norm. Again these are just my observations so feel free to comment what you think!
The whole album seems to eventually fall back to its roots of indie folk with a smattering of experimental production. Especially on the guitar and string sections which often sound discordant and otherworldly. She’s really leaning into the electro-indie vibe utilising sliding synths mixed with classic acoustic guitars which add a lovely contrast. My analysis of this is that Bridgers is using the instrumentation to highlight the contrast between her fame (which feels otherworldly and godlike) and everyday life (grounded, back on earth). This mix of instrumentation I think is a perfect way to establish Bridger's relationship with fame and how out of control it can feel sometimes - again showing why many of the tracks suddenly diverge into hectic techno breakdowns.
With themes of isolation, dissociation surrounding fame, grief, the downfall of a toxic relationship and the subsequent rebirth of a stable new one (I see you Bo Burnham). Lost Weekend feels like a breath of fresh air and yes there are still some ‘This has ruined my mental health and therefore my week also,’ bangers. However there are some more ‘positive’ songs (I’ll put that lightly). The track ‘I can’t wait’ is just so bloody good ‘SIDE BY SIDE JEKYLL AND HYDE YOU AND I FOREVER’ Like are you joking??? I’m feeling violent. To love someone even though you are total opposites but when paired together you are one being. Complete and balanced. Phoebe Bridgers when I catch you. Let’s be real she's always been a genius when it comes to lyrics but it's just getting ridiculous now- can’t wait for the incoming tattoos that will be inspired by this album.
My Final thoughts are that ‘Lost Weekend’ is a masterpiece, it blends gentle folk indie with what I can only describe as astrological synth techno pop. It's beautiful, haunting and transcends any of Bridger’s old work by lightyears. In short - It's out of this world.