Punisher

by Phoebe Bridgers

Overview

Indie singer/songwriter Phoebe Bridgers's popularity exploded after the release of her 2017 debut Stranger in the Alps. Her sad, sardonic songs were undercut by her dry wit, and her straightforward delivery of emotionally naked material placed her in a lineage of songwriting excellence that included Elliott Smith, Neko Case, and Cat Power. Second solo album Punisher arrives after two high-profile collaborations: a 2018 EP from boygenius, her supergroup with Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, and Better Oblivion Community Center, a makeshift band based around songs written by Bridgers and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst. Back on her own with Punisher, Bridgers offers up a set of hushed narratives that push her music into new, ominous places. After a brief instrumental introduction, "Garden Song" is a gentle blur of acoustic guitars, slow-moving electronics, and lyrics rich with imagery of houses on fire, flatbed trucks covered in roses, and haunted gardens. Baritone harmonies from Jeroen Vrijhoef and the gurgling textures beneath the song add to the strange atmosphere. Much of Punisher follows a similar formula. Vocals on the title track are doubled with robotic Auto-Tune, making lyrics about loneliness and longing all the more detached. Glistening strings on "Chinese Satellite" and the ghostly wind that blows through "Halloween" add intensity to themes of numbness and a struggle to find authentic emotional connections. The several upbeat moments on the album are some of Bridgers' finest work. "Kyoto" is a bright travelog, painting a brilliant picture of a day on tour in Japan marked by feeling unexpectedly empty and displaced. Dark lyrics are contrasted with a tangle of sunny melodies and the bright trumpet lines that move the song along. Bridgers repeats herself a little bit with the country-tinged harmonies of "Graceland Too," which is similar in execution to boygenius, and some of her melodic turns sound like revisitations of earlier songs. The development on Punisher comes in its subtleties. Where Stranger in the Alps was an excellent showcase for Bridgers' songwriting, the arrangements and production were fairly basic. Punisher's use of moody, barely there electronics and creaky instrumentals enhance the uneasy, dissatisfied feeling of the album. Already masterful at creating sad, smart songs, Bridgers reaches new depths with Punisher. It's an album of shockingly self-aware explorations of dark feelings and Bridgers is more willing than ever before to throw herself headlong into the darkness. ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	06/19/2020
Label:	DEAD OCEANS
UPC:	0656605150024

Tracks

1. DVD Menu/Garden Song
2. Kyoto
3. Punisher
4. Halloween
5. Chinese Satellite
6. Moon Song
7. Savior Complex
8. ICU
9. Graceland Too
10. I Know the End

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Phoebe Bridgers   Primary Artist,Guitar,Hi String Guitar,Guitar (Electric),Various Instruments,Guitar (Nylon String),Guitar (Electric Baritone)
Ethan Gruska   Sampling,Keyboards,Mellotron,Pump Organ,Tenor Bass,Synthesizer,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Synthesizer Piano,Various Instruments,Bass,Piano,Vocoder
Harrison Whitford   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String Acoustic),Guitar (12 String Electric),Hi String Guitar (Acoustic)
Joseph Lorge   Guitar (Electric)
Tony Berg   Kobsa,Syndrum,Autoharp,Mellotron,Guitar (Electric),Banjo
Lukas Frank   Vocals
Anna Butterss   Bass
Christian Lee Hutson   Vocals,Celeste,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (12 String),Guitar (Electric Baritone)
Julien Baker   Vocals
Lucy Dacus   Vocals
Tomberlin   Vocals
Malcolm McRae   Vocals
Emily Retsas   Bass
Sara Watkins   Fiddle
Conor Oberst   Vocals
Nick Zinner   Guitar (Electric)
Sebastian Steinberg   Bowed Bass,Bass (Upright)
Blake Mills   Drums,Clarinet,Guitar (Electric Baritone)
Rob Moose   Strings
Jim Keltner   Drums
Kane Ritchotte   Vocals
Nick White   Piano,Mellotron
Jenny Lee Lindberg   Bass
Nathaniel Walcott   Horn
Marshall Vore   Drums,Vocals,Percussion

Technical Credits

Ethan Gruska   Programming,Sound Design,Producer
Joseph Lorge   Engineer
Phoebe Bridgers   Composer,Producer
Tony Berg   Producer
Nathaniel David Utesch   Design
Christian Lee Hutson   Composer,Lyricist
Angela Deane   Cover Art
Will Maclellan   Engineer
Nicolas White   Composer
Chris Riddell   Illustrations
Olof Grind   Photography
Travis Demello   Design,Booklet Design
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Conor Oberst   Composer,Lyricist
Rob Moose   String Arrangements
Morgan Nagler   Composer,Lyricist
Mike Mogis   Mixing
Nathaniel Walcott   Horn Arrangements
Nicholas White   Composer,Lyricist
Darin Harmon   Management
Marshall Vore   Composer,Lyricist