Sometimes, a polite strum of a guitar and an angelic voice is enough to capture the average music listener’s attention. However, for me, the lyrics to a song are all the more important. Touching hard topics in a poetic way is almost impossible, but Phoebe Bridgers is capable of just that. Regardless of the type of music you usually listen to, Bridgers can be appreciated as one of the best artists of this generation.
Phoebe Bridgers is an American singer and songwriter. She has released two albums titled Stranger in the Alps and Punisher. She has also released various singles and even a holiday Extended Play titled So Much Wine. After her debut album, she received almost perfect ratings universally and specific credit for her incredible songwriting. These reviews are a constant throughout every record she has released. Her songs have become social media sensations and she has collaborated with many other successful people including SZA and Jimmy Fallon. Likewise, she has accompanied Taylor Swift as an opener for “The Eras Tour.”
While she has released music as an independent artist, she has also been in an indie woman supergroup named boygenius. Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus are an exceptionally brilliant trio with eyes for lyricism and production. They have released two albums and an Extended Play as a group. Their most notable piece of work, the record, was nominated for six Grammys and won three.
Like many other indie artists, her style stays melancholy and alternative. Her lyricism, however, is outside of the box and she continues to create some of the best lyrics of this generation. She is authentically herself in her songwriting. Bridgers combines sorrowful yearning with comfort and healing. She produces breathtakingly emotional records that never fail to leave critics baffled.
Looking at her most streamed song, “Motion Sickness,” listeners can tell off the bat that the title is a metaphor. She continues this throughout the song as she writes, “I have emotional motion sickness/ somebody roll the windows down.” Aside from the lyrics, the song has beautiful production that pairs perfectly with her ethereal voice. Bridgers was inspired to write this song about her ex boyfriend, but the lyrics can truly resonate with so many situations. For instance, she sings, “I try to stay clean and live without / And I want to know what would happen / If I surrender to the sound.” While the theme is individual to her, these lines can be interpreted in various ways. Her lyrics usually stay personal, but so many fans praise how relatable her music is. “Motion Sickness” is an absolute perfect example of Bridger’s talent.
Aside from songs about relationships, Bridgers also thrives with other sensitive topics. On her first album Stranger in the Alps, “Funeral” encapsulates the feeling of the death of a loved one. Bridgers says that the song was inspired by a close friend’s overdose. “Funeral” is a stellar example of how creative her lyricism is. In this case, she uses both figurative language and straight forward phrases to convey emotions. For example, she sings, “I’ve been talking to his dad / It makes me so sad / When I think too much about it I can’t breathe.” This is an extremely hard-hitting line that is paired with her softer figurative language. She also writes, “And I have this dream where I’m screamin’ underwater / While my friends are wavin’ from the shore.” This line perfectly encapsulates the feeling Bridgers is trying to explain throughout the song. The subtle guitar plucks in the background help to make this song haunting in the best way possible. Again, the theme in this song is so personal to Bridgers but yet can relate to any listener.
With that said, only two songs are not nearly enough to truly describe Bridger’s complete talent and brilliance. Her complete discography is an absolute masterpiece. Every single piece of music she has put out has no skips and can easily be rated ten out of ten. Phoebe Bridgers should be recognized as one of the best musical artists of the generation.
