Out of all the Indie Pop artists to emerge over the last several years, beabadoobee(the stage name for Beatrice Laus) has always been my favorite. I have been hooked on her music ever since songs like ‘Coffee’ and ‘She Plays Bass’ went viral several years ago. These hits turned beabadoobee into a blossoming Indie Darling. beabadoobee had a sound and overall style that majorly differed from the other Indie Pop stars on the rise at that time, though. Her music had a much heavier and more Rock-themed sound than her peers. beabadoobee was inspired by the 1990s Alternative artists like Pavement and Pixies and Slacker artists like Sixpence None the Richer, and this was reflected in her music. After releasing a series of EPs between 2018 and 2019 titled Lice, Patched Up, Loveworm, and Space Cadet, beabadoobee released her debut album. Fake It Flowers, in October of 202o to major commercial and critical success. It was one of the more popular Alternative albums of the year and cemented Bea as an Indie and Alternative music star. After dropping another EP called Our Extended Play, she released her second album, Beatopia, in July of 2022. This album was once again very successful critically and commercially; it saw Bea go with a bit of a more stripped-back and easy-going sound that showed a lighter side to her artistry. After a few enticing singles to lead up to it, beabadoobee has now released her third studio album, This Is How Tomorrow Moves. Here is how I feel about this new album from beabadoobee. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from This Is How Tomorrow Moves, and also comment on how you feel about the record as a whole.
The lead single from This Is Tomorrow Moves, ‘Take A Bite,’ gets this record going. When this track came out, I thought it was a pretty interesting direction for beabadoobee to go. ‘Take A Bite’ does have a retro Alternative Rock sound, but it is a different kind than what one may expect from Bea. This song feels very inspired by early 2000s Pop and Hip Hop-tinted Alt Rock; particularly, ‘Take A Bite’ makes me think of bands like Incubus. I really like Bea’s delivery on this track. The way she almost talks the lyrics during the verses makes ‘Take A Bite’ feel very personable, and her sweet tone on the hook makes the track very inviting. On ‘Take A Bite,’ beabadoobee sings about realizing that she sees comfort in chaos and loves to live life in a fast and exciting manner. ‘California’ is another song that feels more inspired by 2000s Alternative Rock than the more 1990s-themed stuck beabadoobee is more known for. This track has a different kind of Alt Rock sound than the track that precedes it, though. ‘California’ immediately makes me think of the Shoegazey Alt-Rock popularized by Silversun Pickups and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The melody and overall mix have the kind of bright and fuzzy sound that is so reminiscent of the music those two artists in particular were known for. I am a huge fan of that distorted, buzzing kind of Alternative music, so this is a track immediately attracted to and downloaded. beabadoobee’s vocals on the verses on this track are pretty breathy, but her vocals on the hook have a bit more emphasis. This back-and-forth nature to her vocals gives the song so much life. On ‘California’ Bea sings about her struggles with touring and falling into a debaucherous lifestyle on the road while just missing the comfort her boyfriend provides. ‘One Time’ has a pretty similar sound to the first track on the record. The melody for this one is a bit more sweet, but it has a similar laid-back Alt-Rock theme that sounds like it came from the early 2000s. The instrumental for the most part is pretty calm and stripped up, mainly consisting of a lead guitar melody and a drum beat. Towards the end of ‘One Time,’ the instrumental gets bigger. A wave of sound comes in from various guitars to give the song a much more bold feeling than the rest of the song. beabadoobee’s vocals on ‘One Time’ are very sing-songy and make the hook of this track a real earworm. The vocals take on a chant-like quality towards the end of the track, which makes this one seem like it would be so fun to hear live. In ‘One Time,’ beabadoobee sings about a failed past relationship and reflects on her mistake of ignoring her problems with this person instead of handling them. ‘Real Time’ is a track that completely switches from what we heard on the first three tracks. ‘Real Time’ has an old-school Country Folk sound that I honestly would not have expected to hear from beabadoobee at all. It almost feels inspired by artists like Bob Dylan or Dolly Parton. The piano melody that complements the acoustic guitar riff that drives this track has a show tune element that further leans into that jolly retro Folk sound. beabadoobee’s vocals are super interesting on this one. She almost sings off-key and sort of talks a lot of the lyrics, making the track feel tongue-in-cheek and giving it texture. In ‘Real Man,’ Bea sings about a relationship with someone who started acting immature and expresses disappointment in how this person handled her.
‘Tie My Shoes’ is the second song in a row that feels like it has a Country element to it. The guitar-driven melody is very Southern and Folky, making me think of 1990s-era Country music. There is a bit of an Alternative Rock element to the complementary guitars that help drive this melody. It is as if beabadoobee is putting her own twist on this style of music and making it her own. One thing that is really cool about this instrumental is the intricacy of the drums; they give the song a quirky texture while not overpowering the theme of the track’s sound. beabadoobee’s vocals in ‘Tie My Shoes’ are nothing too special and don’t add a ton to the track On ‘Tie My Shoes,’ beabadoobee calls out her dad for taking advantage of her love and not being there for her the way she needs him to be. beabadoobee slows things down and delivers the first true acoustic song of the record on ‘Girl Song.’ I do not think I have ever heard beabadoobee make a true Piano Pop song like this. She has made great acoustic tracks in the past, but they have all been driven by her playing the guitar. The piano riff that makes up this melody has a very melancholy and Bluesy feeling that shows a slightly more downtrodden side to Bea that we typically do not see. ‘Girl Song’ definitely has elements that make me think of Billie Eilish, but the melody does feel a bit more retro than what we usually get from Billie. Bea delivers her best vocals of the record so far on ‘Girl Song.’ The emotion in her voice is so palpable and adds to the sentimental feeling of this track. In ‘Girl Song,’ beabadoobee expresses self-doubt in her image and how she treats people and struggles to find solace in her life. The second single from the record, ‘Coming Home,’ comes next. Admittedly, this one underwhelmed me a bit when it came out. It has the kind of sweet Folky Pop sound that spawned a few hits throughout beabadoobee’s career, but for me, it does not have quite as much charm as songs like ‘Coffee’ or even 2023’s ‘Glue Song.’ I will say that I appreciate this track a bit more in the context of the record(especially following ‘Girl Song’), but it still does not hit me that much. I do enjoy Bea’s vocals on ‘Coming Home’ and the grandiose horns that come in at the end of the track do give it texture, but this one is still a bit of a miss for me. On ‘Coming Home,’ beabadoobee sings about how being on tour and constantly having to work and promote her music is taking a toll on her relationship; she just wants to be able to sit at home with her partner. The third single from the album, ‘Ever Seen,’ follows that second single. Similar to ‘Coming Home,’ I will admit that this single did not grab me much at the time of its release. I did like it a bit more than ‘Coming Home,’ but once again it did not get me as excited for the album as I wanted to be. ‘Ever Seen’ was the first time we saw beabadoobee dive into the Country sound we have gotten on a few other songs from the record. The melody for this one has a very balmy Country-Folk sound that makes me think of artists like the Zac Brown band(not unlike what we heard on the Juliet Ivy EP I just reviewed). One thing that does make this one stand out a bit is the more grandiose instrumentation that(which makes me think of Mika) comes in and out which gives the song a bit of life. beabadoobee’s vocals on this track are sweet, but they do not do anything to push the track over the top for me. In ‘Ever Seen,’ Bea is singing about falling for her partner and not wanting to screw up the connection they are having.
We go from what is probably one of the least appealing songs on the record for me to one of the most appealing in ‘A Cruel Affair.’ This track sees beabadoobee go back to a sound she thrived with one of the songs from her last record. Like the sleeper hit ‘the perfect pair,’ the tone of this instrumental has a Jazzy Bossa Nova element to it. I would not be surprised at all if ‘A Cruel Affair’ has the same kind of success that track had. The guitar riff that drives this melody is so sleek and sultry. Bea’s vocals are extremely enticing as well, and they add to the already ethereal, comforting sound this song has. In ‘A Cruel Affair,’ beabadoobee sings about how she is always comparing herself to others online, and how she is working to see that she is just as great as these girls she compares herself to ‘Post’ is a song with a bit more power than what we have heard in the last several songs. This is something I appreciate a ton, as I was waiting for the album to bring back some more Alternative rock elements. I think it’s totally cool to see Bea branch out, but she is just so good at this Retro Alt-Rock sound. ‘Post’ has the kind of strong, chunky sound that Bea became known for early in her career and is reminiscent of artists like Social Distortion or even Rise Against a bit. The best part of this track is the bridge; some cool, fat synths come in at this point to give the song a futuristic element that gives it such a fun texture. Bea’s vocals are pretty reserved on ‘Post,’ creating an intriguing contrast with the instrumental I like a lot. On ‘Post,’ beabadoobee sings about her failing relationship and watching her partner slowly fall for someone else. Following ‘Post,’ we get the final single from this record, ‘Beaches.’ I have to say that out of all the singles, this is the one that got me the most excited. ‘Beaches’ is another song that has that late 1990/early 2000s Alt-Rock sound that beabadoobee has excelled at so many times in the past. ‘Beaches’ has such a lovely melody that will put anyone in a good mood when it comes on. The instrumentation starts pretty low-key on ‘Beaches’ but picks up and becomes more distorted as the track goes on. As nice as the instrumental is, the best thing about ‘Beaches’ is Bea’s vocals. Her voice has such a welcoming tone on this track that sticks so well. On ‘Beaches,’ Bea sings about trying to be okay with and learn from her failures and setbacks.
The laid-back Country-Folk sound we heard earlier in the record returns on ‘Everything I Want.’ Out of all the songs with this general sound, this is the one I am the most into. The melody for this track is super soothing and welcoming. I can not but bop my head and smile as I listen to this one. The extra instrumentation that appears here and there on this track gives it a bit of quirkiness and jazziness. The tempo of this track is so catchy, and Bea’s vocals make the song even catchier. I like how delicate her tone is on this track, as it makes ‘Everything I Want’ so inviting. On ‘Everything I Want,’ Bea sings about falling hard for her partner and hoping they feel the same. ‘The Man Who Left Too Soon’ is a track that feels inspired by yet another kind of 2000s Alternative music. This song does have elements of Folk, but a different kind of Folk than what we have heard to this point. Instead of reminding me of Bob Dylan, this one makes me think of Death Cab For Cutie or Sufjan Stevens. This track has a beguiling Folk melody complemented by quirky synths that make the track feel so floaty and ethereal. Bea’s vocals on this one are quaint yet impactful. She sings with a mixture of delicacy and emphasis that makes the song pop so uniquely. In ‘The Man Who Left Too Soon,’ Bea sings about how her ex did not fight for her and ran when things got tough. beabadoobee closes out the record with another soft and sweet Folk ballad in ‘This Is How It Went.’ This is the most sweet-sounding and lullaby-esque song on the record, which is honestly saying a lot. The melody for this song is super delicate and sparkly; it has a healing element to it that fits into the actual sentiment of the song very well. ‘This Is How It Went’ is probably the most soothing track on the record. The guitar riff that drives the melody(and instrumental as a whole) is so dainty. Bea’s soft and quiet delivery fits the feeling of the track very nicely and makes it feel all-encompassing. In ‘This Is How It Went,’ beabadoobee sings about trying to get over her past relationship by writing songs, as that is how she handles her pain the best. This is a very nice way to close out this record, sending This Is How Tomorrow Moves off on a somewhat hopeful note.
As I mentioned during this review, three of the four singles from this record did not appeal to me a ton(‘Take A Bite’ has grown on me, but at the time of its release I was iffy on it). These singles made me a bit worried about This Is How Tomorrow Moves as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, I dig when artists go outside their comfort zone and try new things; I had become so accustomed to loving beabadoobee’s signature sound, though, that I just wanted her to go back to it. This Is How Tomorrow Moves is honestly the best of both worlds. If you are into this more Folk-driven music that we got on two of the singles, there is a good amount of that on the record. If you like beabadoobee’s more Alt-Rock sound, there is a lot of that on the record as well. I enjoy how Bea branches out with these Folk elements and these Alt-Rock elements; there are different styles of both kinds of music that show her intricacies as an artist. Her vocals throughout this record are so nice; she differentiates her vocal style on each song and matches each instrumental well. Lyrically, Bea opens up more than ever on This Is How Tomorrow Moves. She bares her all about her past and current romantic relationships, her relationships with her parents, and the way she handles fame and success. beabadoobee shows a level of vulnerability on this record that is very commendable and shows her growth. Overall, This Is How Tomorrow Moves is another high-quality album from beabadoobee that shows she is still immensely growing as an artist and woman, which is respectable and swell to see.
EAST SIDE VIBES 