Our favourite indie-rock princess has evolved from a girl and her guitar, to a woman taking on the world. Beabadoobee swapped her London bedroom for Malibu’s Shangri-La studio, owned by renowned record producer Rick Rubin, for her forthcoming studio album This is How Tomorrow Moves, and the elevation of the location is evident in the tracks.
The album is meticulously crafted and the journey created is that of growth; no song sounds the same and no song ends the way you would expect it to, with the addition of excellent guitar riffs and tone, as well as eerie synths.
Described as a love letter to her younger self, the artist explained that the album is “about becoming a woman” and how it takes “two to tango in everything.”
In my previous records, I would consistently sing about my reaction towards other people’s doings, like a blame game. But in this record, it’s an acceptance that there’s an inevitability of my fault in there too.”
Lyrically, the record is very innocent but with a lot of responsibility and mature points of view. Overall, it comes together as a marriage of her previous records Fake It Flowers and Beatopia; the union of anger and strength, and soft accountability. Tracks like “Tie My Shoes” and “This is How It Went” are very self-admitting and developed, heart wrenching but healing, and flow well within the loose structure of the album.
There are some softer tracks with heavy influences of jazz, following her collaboration with pop-jazz sensation Laufey, for those who pine and pine dramatically. “Everything I Want”, “One Time” and “A Cruel Affair” are sweet, hopeful love songs that make you feel dizzy with butterflies. Bea’s band experimented with a multitude of new instruments in the album, the addition of an organ and synths and a new rather grungy tone meld surprisingly well. Her celestial vocals mixed with a darker sound seems like she’s constantly trying to hypnotise you, and honestly, it’s working.
“Ever Seen”, written on the road with Taylor Swift when Bea was supporting on the Eras Tour, and “Post” are vastly different tracks and show the versatility of the record, but do feel the weakest of such a strong album. There are clear influences of Swift’s country roots with a slight twang, but other connotations of The Cardigans and even Radiohead throughout the tracks.
“Take A Bite”, “California” and “Beaches” are very Americanised songs, with catchy riffs, heavy drums and even heavier grunge; music that should be heard in a dingy basement, but with a bright sunlight illuminating the angelic vocals of Beabadoobee. This contrast is what makes her music so special, and the elevated instrumentals just emphasise the talent to understand how to carry out this contrast so well.
“Real Man” is quite clearly going to be a big one off the record, as an empowering, heartfelt and upbeat tune. It’s a very seductive track, as Bea manipulates the guitar to sing her harmonies for her and embraces the influences of Fiona Apple and Lily Allen. “Girl Song” and “Coming Home” are sadder songs, but encapsulate the feelings that the artist needs to show – the female experience and the feeling of home respectively.
Overall, Beabadoobee waltzes the listener through a dance of self love and growth, whilst advancing her indie-rock, grunge roots. It is incredibly difficult to know what to expect throughout the record with a multitude of different influences and emotions. She is married to the melody and represents a mature mind that keeps the listener safe and accepted. Beabadoobee has not sold her soul to the American studios, but instead readied the world for her talent by constructing her most complete and interesting album yet.
Beabadoobee brings the American Dream to Sheffield on 12 November 2024, at the Octagon in the Students’ Union, as well as headlining both Reading and Leeds festival this August.
9/10
Image credits: Ian Cheek Press