WRITTEN BY CAITLIN TRAVERS
Beatrice Laus (she/her), also known as indie pop star beabadoobee, has just dropped her newest album, This is How Tomorrow Moves! Having teased the album with three singles “Take a Bite”, “Ever Seen”, and “Coming Home”, this long-awaited album has officially been released, so it’s time for an album review by yours truly. Let’s break down my top six songs!
“Take a Bite”: Not to be basic, but this song is absolutely one of my favorites of the album. While it was the first single to be released from the album, having come out the same day as beabadoobee made the album announcement, I find myself consistently returning to it. The drums and simple plucked melody that weaves through the song grants the song a very dark, grunge-y soundscape, while the more forward vocals and strummed backing guitars lend it warmth and power. Speaking of lyrics, beabadoobee has wowed me yet again with her songwriting capabilities. In an interview for Stereogum, Laus discusses the song’s themes and personal importance—especially how it’s about “accepting how you’re a bitch sometimes.” She describes how “writing the song definitely helped me come to terms with that in my brain…it’s a song about finding comfort in chaotic things, despite being in a relatively healthy situation…” Overall, it’s a remarkably reflective song, and acts as a good introduction (both thematically and musically) for the rest of the album!
“Real Man”: As the backing instrumentals lean from screechy to twangy (in the best way possible, of course), the sound coalesces into what Laus describes as a “sort of bluesy, sexy song”. With a slower tempo and a nicely rhythmic this song is a nice change of pace from the previous three songs. For the Lana lovers out there, this song is inspired by unreleased Lana Del Rey song “Wayamaya.” The sound maintains its homey, bluesy feel in part by remaining acoustic—Laus tells the story of how after producer Rick Rubin, guitarist Jacob, and her had produced the more polished instrumentals for the song, they “realized that maybe stripping it back was the better idea.” And I couldn’t agree more—that relaxed, more intimate vibe is what makes this song an overall favorite of mine!
“Girl Song”: Already striking a contrast to the previous songs, having an introduction heavily grounded in piano, this ballad takes on a more somber tone as beabadoobee breaks down her own insecurities, self-esteem, and body image. Taking inspiration for the melodic structure from “Simon & Garfunkel and the Beatles—true songwriters…”, the lyrics remain the star of the show, and for good reason. This piece is an absolutely striking peak of the album, and continues to give me full body chills every time I hear it. Highly recommended for those who cried while watching the Barbie movie.
“Coming Home”: One of the more popular songs on the album, this song sticks out for its beautifully waltz-reminiscent rhythm. Laus attributes this sound to her writing the song in LA: she “[guesses] there was a La La Land-esque [feeling] to it, and that romanticness to it.” Another song born out her longing for home, her boyfriend, and her cats just after her Taylor Swift tour, this song aims to romanticize the mundane, under-appreciated things she couldn’t do while balancing her personal life with that of a touring artists. That romanticization is remarkably clear in the song itself: personally, my favorite lyric is “I’m waking up to the gap on my blinds peeking sunlight / I’d do anything just to be with you,”—it just captures that feeling of being home so well.
“Ever Seen”: The last of the early-release songs, this song also takes on a more country feel, complete with positively stunning melodic variations from the guitar, and lovely breathy vocals from Laus. Interestingly, this song takes inspiration from early Taylor Swift, with whom beabadoobee was on tour with at the time of the song’s creation. The backstory behind the song’s lyrics can be found in a sweet anecdote beabadoobee shared about how, after struggling with the bridge “The prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen” following a bad comedown, her and her boyfriend completed the song together. Overall, an incredible song with a very well-done homage to the sounds of early Taylor Swift!
“A Cruel Affair”: beabadoobee devoured this. While beabadoobee’s Bossa nova sound can to be traced as far back as “The Perfect Pair” from Beatopia, or to her more recent collaboration with Laufey in “A Night to Remember”—this song’s jazzy beat and ethereal melodies definitely puts it over the top. Laus describes the thought process behind the song as “[wanting] to write a song about constantly comparing myself to every pretty girl on the internet, but [wanting] to feel hot in doing so…and every time I listen to Bossa nova in the summer I feel like a sexy bitch.” This song remains to me one of the most relatable and purely fun on the album.
Overall, this album is stunning, and I can’t wait to see it performed in person in September—but until then, these gushing paragraphs about beabadoobee’s awe-inspiring lyricism and the jaw-droopingly good tunes by her team will have to do. :)