Album Review — Phoebe Bridgers — “Punisher” (2020)
By: Brett Dunlap
Tags: Album Review, 2020, Phoebe Bridgers, Punisher, Music

In a time where her presence has never mattered more, Phoebe Bridgers hovers in with her annual musical offering. This time around, she is void of a band and solo for the second time in her career, releasing the highly anticipated follow-up to her gripping debut album Stranger In The Alps (2017). Once the dust settles after a nearly perfect forty-and-a-half minutes, Bridgers leaves no doubt that she is one of modern music’s most talented singer-songwriters. Her spellbinding voice, moving compositions, and piercing lyrics make Punisher one of 2020’s most unforgettable albums and a worthwhile journey that needs to experienced.

I’ll state the obvious by saying that making music these days is a whole lot different than it was thirty or forty years ago. Today, the pros are profound: independents grow like weeds thanks to the Internet, a release doesn’t have to be limited to a physical item, and the studio doesn’t even need to be an actual studio anymore — it can just be your bedroom. The cons are constricting: tours have to last forever if you want to make money (since the fractions of pennies earned from streaming won’t cut it), it’s tougher to stand out due to the competition that sprouts daily, and unless something like, I don’t know, a pandemic forces the world to brake, the days of releasing an album-plus a year are basically extinct (unless you’re Guided By Voices or King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, for example). The point I’m trying to make here is how impressive it is that Phoebe Bridgers, the Californian that speaks like Emma Stone but sings like an angel, managed to release four full-grown albums in less than four years, and not only that, have them all be seriously good. The most spectacular fact is that Bridgers doesn’t even cut corners by just working by herself. 2018’s eponymous collaboration with pals Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker (boygenius) and — double take — 2019’s eponymous collaboration with idol Conor Oberst (Better Oblivion Community Center) filled in the time passed between her solo albums, and as a result, starting two new bands only helped in building both her stature and skill. Many were guessing and hoping that an album a year from ‘17-’19 foreshadowed that ‘20 would bring something, anything from the active creator to soothe us in these turbulent times. Voila! The Dead Oceans staple welcoming Punisher on the same historic day that legends Bob Dylan and Neil Young also welcomed excellent LPs cemented two crucial things: Phoebe Bridgers does what she wants, and Phoebe Bridgers isn’t just one of the best indie or female songwriters today, she is just one of the best — period.

Phoebe Bridgers performing on NPR’s famed “Tiny Desk Concert” series in 2017.

boygenius, and not Stranger In The Alps, was the first project I ever heard from Phoebe Bridgers, and it didn’t take me long after to grow fond of not just her, but bandmates Dacus and Baker, too. Everything about those three when they cooperate results in magic, from their lyrical prowess to their gorgeous harmonies, and while I prefer the boygenius album to the Better Oblivion Community Center album, the same characteristics apply to the latter. When I finally listened to Stranger In The Alps for the first time, I couldn’t help but kick myself — overlooking such a thunderous collection of songs back in 2017 is almost an unforgiveable crime, and even after doubting her once, I still didn’t learn my lesson. After Bridgers announced the release of Punisher back in April of this year, I grew anxious, primarily from the possibility of the dreaded sophomore slump lingering in the back of my head. Not even when she revealed the instantly-lovable “Kyoto” did I calm down, because I still felt a little underwhelmed by “Garden Song” which came out weeks before. While the announcement of an upcoming — and scrapped — tour with The 1975 repressed those fears momentarily, I was still left bothered by the chance that Punisher would fall curse to ordinary. I see now how plainly stupid it was for me to worry. June 18th at last arrived, and I was giddy with anticipation. For months, the horns in “Kyoto” bounced around my brain without an escape, and the strange video for “Garden Song” stuck there too. It’s fascinating to realize that over five months ago already, I pressed play on Punisher for the first time. I don’t believe there has been a 2020 album I have listened to more.

There will be no section devoted to what doesn’t work on this album because enough mistakes don’t exist to where I feel the need to write a full-bodied statement. The few, fleeting moments on Punisher where I still am not completely enthralled by what I’m listening to appear during “Halloween” and “Chinese Satellite”. Although I would label these two back-to-back tracks as the weakest on the record, calling them weak is practically an insult due to how engaging they still are. Their only fault is being surrounded by songs that are unquestionably the best in the young career of Phoebe Bridgers. The looming instrumental “DVD Menu” intro segways beautifully into “Garden Song”, which I have fully made my peace with. Passages like (“The doctor put her hands over my liver / She told me my resentment’s getting smaller”) make this drifting, poetic dig into her psyche unforgettable. “Kyoto” is right behind “Garden Song”, and it’s the most energetic on the entire project because I can’t get over how much I love those horns in the chorus. The superb title track is so dreamy and soothing that you might not know it’s a heartfelt ode to likely her biggest inspiration: Elliott Smith. Once the gloomy “Halloween” and the searching “Chinese Satellite” end, Punisher’s first half wraps up. I thought songs 1–5 were really something, but…

The last twenty-odd minutes on the back end of this album are the most imaginative, invigorating, and enthralling that I’ve heard in a while; the only challengers I could see from the last couple of years would be Sharon Van Etten’s Remind Me Tomorrow (2019), Laura Marling’s Song For Our Daughter (2020), and Fiona Apple’s Fetch The Bolt Cutters (2020). What might be the two best songs on Punisher, “Moon Song” and “Savior Complex”, lead off songs 6–10, and explore relationships (or maybe a single one) and the peaks and valleys that come with them. If you want a couple of captivating, challenging love songs, these two tracks are tailor-made for you. The cathartic longing on “Moon Song” (“So I will wait for the next time you want me / Like a dog with a bird at your door”) paired with the unfurled and critical “Savior Complex” (“Baby, you’re a vampire / You want blood and I promised / I’m a bad liar / With a savior complex”) make a perfect, epic pair. “ICU” feels redemptive after two heart-wrenching tracks, and the sublime songwriting continues (“If you’re a work of art / I’m standing too close / I can see the brush strokes”). The penultimate offering “Graceland Too” appears simple to digest but actually morphs into a multitude of manners. My favorite way to view this song is as a wonderful little ballad of friendship, thanks to sterling harmonies from Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker. The grand finale, “I Know The End”, is what cements Punisher as a career-defining project. Infusing pop culture allusions like The Wizard Of Oz, inside jokes between bandmates, and a depressive episode into an overarching and timely narrative of the apocalypse allows Bridgers to be her most experimental to date. An easygoing, simple beginning slowly bubbles with power, and then complete euphoria in the end with a full, unbridled release of pressure. The last thing we hear on the album, in perfect Phoebe Bridgers fashion, is a little snicker in-between hushed, sarcastic screams. Executing a more effective way to end this incredible album would be virtually impossible, I would think.

Phoebe Bridgers performing with boygenius in Chicago at Thalia Hall on November 13th, 2018.

Albums like Punisher are rare. I’m not quite sure what it takes for an artist to take the leap that results in a success like this so early in a career, whether it’s a demanding desire to improve, a life-changing moment, or simply just working with all of the right people. Maybe it’s a little bit of everything. While I don’t know if Punisher will end up being the best album of the year, I fully believe it’s her most powerful, thoughtful, and enrapturing body of songs yet. What a pleasure it’s been getting lost in this one.

9.0

Songs on repeat: “Garden Song”, “Kyoto”, “Punisher”, “Halloween”, “Chinese Satellite”, “Moon Song”, “Savior Complex”, “ICU”, “Graceland Too”, “I Know The End”

Songs to skip: none