Review Summary: On the outside, watching.
There was a moment during my second listen of
Lost Weekend, Phoebe Bridgers' third LP, where I realised what was different about it. The album has all the hallmarks of a Bridgers record - intimate lyricism, beautiful vocal melodies, interesting compositional decisions. But what is different about this latest effort is the true bare-facedness of the thing.
The majority of
Stranger in the Alps and
Punisher were about an unnamed person - often speaking about their past, their getting together or how they broke up. And don't get me wrong, there is still that in spades on
Lost Weekend. Early track 'The Governor's Waltz' directly references Bridgers' relationship with Paul Mescal, and 'Bobby' which follows is explicitly about Bo Burnham, her current partner. But what really struck me about
Lost Weekend is when she sings about somebody else.
Phoebe Bridgers' father died in 2023. She did not have the most comfortable relationship with him, but they shared a deep love despite this. And most of
Lost Weekend's lyricism is speaking directly to, or about, Tony Bridgers. It is perhaps reductive to suggest that this makes the album feel more 'authentic' - Bridgers has always worn her heart on her sleeve - but it certainly gives
Lost Weekend a different vibe. And it's one that just works. It painfully, crushingly, beautifully works.
There are some pretty radical production decisions on this album that I think I would've hated if they hadn't all coalesced into this whole. A deviant club beat underneath a folk song, the album opening with Bridgers' voice heavily vocoded, and more songs ending in a hard cut than you'd expect. But these all speak to the dissociation and otherness that only grief can make someone feel. Again, it just
works, and despite Bridgers being known for her sparkling indie folk, the non-acoustic moments on
Lost Weekend feel well considered and realised. Production is at times astonishing on this album - you can see why it took six years for Phoebe Bridgers to get back in the saddle. This care and attention speaks to songwriting as well: there is only one song where Bridgers really belts it, and that is at the album's climax. It is deeply moving. I get goosebumps every time.
It must be said that
Lost Weekend is not perfect. I personally think it is a little too long, with lead single 'Lost Boys' and album tracks 'Panorama' and 'Other Plans' feeling slightly redundant - perhaps not narratively but certainly in terms of pacing. Bridgers has always had issues with knowing when to cut and when not to cut, and
Lost Weekend is not safe from this. Thankfully, though, these tracks do not noticeably detract from the overall listening experience.
I am lucky in that my parents are both alive and well, deep into their seventies. I haven't had to experience the grief of losing an immediate family member. Perhaps, then, it is in bad taste for me to even write this review. But Phoebe Bridgers' mastery of her craft, her intimate proclivity for lyricism and songwriting, make
Lost Weekend an accessible listen for anybody. You can enjoy it for its production, catchy singles-to-be and beautiful guitarwork without looking deeper. It's when you do delve in to
Lost Weekend, though, that you really see it for the genius it is.
