Review Summary: Construction on Beatopia is finally finished.
Prior to 2022’s
Beatopia, beabadoobee’s career was perched squarely upon the shoulders of 90s rock nostalgia. And she certainly wasn’t subtle about this fact: the heavy grunge influence, the willfully ironic and self-aware lyrics, the fact that one of her songs is literally titled “I Wish I Was Stephen Malkmus”... all the elements were there, clear as day. If that
Daria spinoff ever gets off the ground, you can bet your bottom dollar that beabadoobee will be a shoe-in for the soundtrack. Thankfully, despite how derivative her sound could be, she channeled those 90s influences really
well. Whether it was the melancholic indie pop of 2019’s
Space Cadet or the summery alt-rock haze of 2020’s
Fake It Flowers, she’d proven that she could escape the looming shadow of her first hit “Coffee” (and, more importantly, the terrible Powfu song that sampled it).
But things changed with
Beatopia. This was beabadoobee’s first real attempt at expanding her sound, and the results were… mixed, to say the least. I suppose her switch to a more earnest, acoustically-driven sound was bound to happen eventually, but the actual outcome was just a tad too sleepy and repetitive. It’s a shame too, because the thought of a more delicate, dreamlike variation on the beabadoobee sound was a pretty enticing one; after all, her soft, breathy vocals could be a great fit for a carefree, even folky affair. So, as usual, this all begs the question: where can she go from there? Are we in for another transitional record, or will she return to her 90s-inspired alt-rock sound?
I’m going to rip off the bandage immediately: the answer is
neither. One listen of beabadoobee’s newest offering
This Is How Tomorrow Moves should be proof enough that the transitional period is officially over, and that her newfound brand of dreamy folk-oriented indie pop/rock is here to stay. So I’m going to rip off another bandage: if you were hoping for a return to the sound that brought her to international prominence in the first place, you will be sorely disappointed. This is some light, breezy material that trades in beabadoobee’s previous penchant for youthful angst for a more “mature”, relaxed vibe. And once you hear the opener, you immediately know what tone she’s shooting for here; “Take a Bite” combines airy vocal affectations with shimmering guitar leads and a light, subtle swing on the drums.
Much of the record continues in this vein, with “California” maintaining the carefree melodies of the opener and “Beaches” putting some extra emphasis on the somewhat ethereal vocal harmonies. However, the real magic of
This Is How Tomorrow Moves actually lies in its softest cuts. beabadoobee snuck some legitimately surprising tunes into the record, a few of which actually harken back to the
early early days of her career – as in, the “Coffee” days. The most notable example is the twee cut “Real Man”, which even features the same light acoustic swing as her breakout hit. But venture deeper into the tracklist, and you’ll find even more barebones material, such as on the gorgeous solo piano ballad “Girl Song” and the playful guitar waltz of “Coming Home”. Moments like these give
This Is How Tomorrow Moves a lot of character, and provide a nice showcase for beabadoobee’s more sensitive, intimate side.
Speaking of beabadoobee, her performances here are leaps and bounds ahead of her showing on
Beatopia. I almost feel obligated to mention this, as the way I’ve been describing
This Is How Tomorrow Moves might lead one to perceive it as simply
Beatopia Pt. II. But her vocals and songwriting demonstrate much more confidence here, as if she’s finally comfortable in her new style. I’ve already pointed out some of the little genre experiments she pulls out, but what makes them work so well is the
conviction beabadoobee delivers them with – something that wasn’t quite so apparent on
Beatopia. Going back to “Girl Song” for instance, the impassioned, soulful piano chords are met with just the right level of grace and wistfulness from beabadoobee’s vocals, making for a touching union. The same can be said for folkier cuts like “The Man Who Left Too Soon” and “This Is How It Went”, which expertly blend moods of sentimentality and quirkiness.
Now, if you’re reading all this and thinking, “well, there don’t seem to be a lot of bangers on the album”, you’d be correct. And that’s
fine. As I alluded to earlier,
This Is How Tomorrow Moves relies more on atmosphere and vibes to carry the songs; as such, each song feels like its own living, breathing environment that you almost wish you could inhabit yourself. Whereas
Beatopia felt stuck between two different eras and styles,
This Is How Tomorrow Moves takes the new ideas beabadoobee introduced on that record and fully fleshes them out with no reservations. As a result, it’s the most self-assured and downright enjoyable album she’s released in several years.
