Find Buzzing Daily on Spotify. To find solace in a song is a gift, and when that song is by Phoebe Bridgers, it hits differently. Zooming beneath the East River on the way back to Brooklyn, the guitar riffs bring you in and out of a half-sleep.
Lines from the tunnel lights flash at a steady 70 bpm. What a relief: the night went well. The backbone is an effortlessly funky groove, but All We Are takes painstaking efforts to scuff up that sheen with wordless yells and a test broadcast vocal breakdown, something The Flaming Lips might do to an Electric Guest beat.
With cool, lo-fi production and a mellow, head-bopping beat, the song feels like a cozy midnight hangout around a crackling fire. It opens with a raw, reverberating piano melody over a groovy bassline, evoking a sort of melancholy intimacy that feels at once familiar and long-lost. When the unique arrangement expands, it conjures up bedroom vibes through soft, ethereal vocals and a muffled drum pad, a chill, fresh style of synth-pop reminiscent of artists like Billie Eilish.
The monster she sings about is not something to be feared, but rather something to be understood and possibly even accepted. It is also because the Vermont-based four-piece is releasing anxieties with this track and looking forward to new beginnings. Jean notices that finding ways to forgive yourself for some of the more reckless aspects of being alive can only make way for positivity, and with the help of the rhythm section made up of Toby Sullivan bass and Rob Slater drums , it is possible to do this with an easy-going bop, a swing in your step, and a smile on your face.
One harrowing single from this long-awaited LP is "Hallways," a cold-weather cry to a long-lost love. Though lyrically a little ambiguous, the emotional poignancy of this track comes through its musicality and that classic layered harmony the band is known for.
