Phoebe Bridgers: Punisher [DEAD OCEANS]

Why you'll love it

Punisher earned Bridgers four Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist, and turned "Kyoto", "Garden Song" and the slow-building singalong "I Know the End" into modern standards. Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, Conor Oberst and Jim Keltner all turn up in the credits.

This edition

• Single LP, 11 tracks
• Dead Oceans pressing (cat# DOC200)
• Produced by Tony Berg and Ethan Gruska at Sound City

About the album

Arriving in June of 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Phoebe Bridgers had even more time to spend inside her own head, Punisher is a wrenching, unguardedly emotional listen even by the California singer-songwriter's own Sad Girl standards. Fraught with post-breakup blues and existential anomie, and haunted by the loss of Phoebe's beloved pug Max (to whom Punisher is dedicated), it's not exactly a sunshine-y listen, but the ultimate effect of Bridgers's electro-haunted indie-folk is one of catharsis. A good cry once in a while never hurts, after all.

And what's often overlooked in discussions of Bridgers's catalogue (not to mention her work with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus in boygenius and with Conor Oberst in Better Oblivion Community Center) is that there's a sly sense of humour always lurking in the background. The title track imagines her lingering far too long at the merch table after a show by her idol Elliott Smith, while "Moon Song" takes a backhanded swipe at Eric Clapton. It's black humour, maybe, but there is humour there. Also? Punisher has one of the best album covers ever.

Also at Kops: more Phoebe Bridgers on vinyl · browse Alternative

Tracklist

Listen

On Dead Oceans (cat# DOC200), first out in 2020.