Punisher

Phoebe Bridgers BY AVERY WAGEMAN

Phoebe Bridgers released her sophomore album, “Punisher,” in June. The album is much moodier than her debut album, “Stranger in the Alps,” and often feels like it’s balancing reality and another dimension.

The fi rst track, “DVD Menu,” is an ominous instrumental that introduces the spooky mood of the album with an unsettling combination of electric bass and violin. This introduction shares the same melody as the fi nal track from both this album and her previous album.

“DVD Menu” transitions smoothly into “Garden Song,” a lighter, almost soothing song. Bridgers’ soft vocals are accompanied by the deep voice of her tour manager. The balance of voices mirrors the violin and bass of the fi rst track. Bridgers explained that “Garden Song” was written to encapsulate the experience of all your dreams—both good and bad—coming true.

“Kyoto” is arguably the most upbeat song on the album. It has a fun mix of horn and synth, along with drums that build up the tempo through the verses. Written about her fi rst time in Japan, Bridgers expresses the feeling of always wanting to be somewhere other than where she is, and experiencing imposter syndrome while on tour.

The title track, “Punisher,” is a sobering follow up to “Kyoto.” A gentle piano melody compliments Bridgers’ wispy vocals. She defi nes a punisher as someone who talks for 24

so long that the eyes of the person they’re someone with a savior complex seeking to speaking to begin to glaze over. This solemn save their partner from their self-hatred. The track is about her fear that she becomes a melancholic lyrics are complimented with a punisher when she meets her heroes, as her beautiful, arching violin instrumental. fans often become in her presence. “Halloween,” a calming but haunting song, relationship with her band’s drummer features a sleepy tempo and a low drum ironically (or perhaps intentionally) has a beat. In the background, the sound of the fantastic crescendoing drum beat. The drums wind howling, or maybe ghosts, can be heard. and her painful lyrics about the loss of her Bridgers pleads with her partner that for relationship make for a track to blast and sing just one night, they should make their dying along to. relationship interesting. As the song fades out, “I’ll be whatever you want” is repeated “Graceland Too,” the album’s only folk song, by featured vocalist and Bright Eyes member features twangy guitar and a banjo. This Conor Oberst. track has a similar theme to “Savior Complex,” Following “Halloween” is the fast-paced someone who doesn’t want it. “Graceland Too” and emotional “Chinese Satellite,” one of my features the vocals of Julien Baker and Lucy personal favorites on the album. Bridgers’ Dacus, Bridgers’ boygenius bandmates. poignant lyrics embody her constant longing “I See You,” a breakup song about her depicting the di culty of wanting to help for life to be more magical, illustrated in the The apocalyptic conclusion, “I Know the End,” lines “Took a tour to see the stars, but they is my favorite song on the album. The track weren’t out tonight, so I wished hard on a is about the drive up the coast of northern Chinese satellite.” Her vocals are bolstered by California, referencing UFOs, conspiracy guitar, bass, and echoing drum beats that are theories, ghosts, and the end of the world. “I reminiscent of an 80s rock song. Know the End” begins with a similar sound to the rest of the album: synths, bass, electric “Moon Song” slows the album down once guitar, and Bridgers’ soothing vocals. As again. It is a somber song about caring for the song reaches the third verse, the tone someone who hates themself. This song is changes and the beat picks up. Bridgers heart wrenching, especially Bridgers’ wistful describes passing a “THE END IS NEAR” sign line, “If I could give you the moon, I would with the lines “I turned around, there was give you the moon.” The eighth track, “Savior nothing there, yeah, I guess the end is here.” Complex,” is considered to be the sequel to An eerie fi nale for the album, but a fi tting line “Moon Song,” written from the perspective of for the times.