BEABADOOBEE’S ‘THIS IS HOW TOMORROW MOVES’: THE MUSICAL DIARY

ALBUM REVIEW | BEABADOOBEE – THIS IS HOW TOMORROW MOVES by Martha Munro | 4.5/5

It’s news to no one that British-Filipino indie star beabadoobee’s career has catapulted into new levels of stadium-spotlighted success over the past two years. After a booming few months supporting Taylor Swift on the North American leg of The Eras Tour, as well as releasing a smattering of highly acclaimed singles throughout 2023 (Glue Song, The Way Things Go and A Night To Remember), beabadoobee set herself a high bar to reach with her third album This Is How Tomorrow Moves – and she doesn’t disappoint. With more honesty than ever before, this Gen-Z-favourite artist has culminated what feels like her entire life into fourteen tracks of self-growth, self-love and self-reflection. This is her realest and rawest body of work to date: her memory-ridden, mesmerising magnum opus.

PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE THIS IS HOW TOMORROW MOVES NOW (RELEASED 9th AUGUST)

Kicking off the album is the characteristic lead single Take A Bite. This song- its minor key, lilting guitar and ridiculously addictive use of syncopation in the hook ‘take a bite’ – is reminiscent of Maisie Peters in its sassy delivery of introspective ideas as well as beabadoobee’s sugar-sweet voice. The instrumental section after the chorus is particularly impressive; the vocal harmonies blend further with the electric guitar to create an explosion of amped-up, warped guitar edge with found sounds dancing in the background to encompass the artist’s interpretation of spiraling. The general perception of beabadoobee’s music is often diminutive, that it is merely mellow. But this opener makes clear that this 23-year-old is by no means just one thing. Her artistic prowess carries on in this way through to the second, classically pop-rock track California. The first four bars diversify the artist’s sound with an almost unharmonious calamity before launching into the first verse, but the song maintains a sliver of that initial edge throughout. The strong bass foundation pumping through these verses is placed high in the mix which compliments beabadoobee’s voice as well as the other musical elements at play. However, the mixing in the choruses seems to separate the vocals too much, partially undoing the sense of cohesion created earlier. The harmonies and echo effects used to blend the singer’s voice in the verses are much more in line with the song’s style and in the second, the chorus’s spotlighting of the electric guitar is continued, another reminder of the grit of those first four flamboyant bars.

Following California is a no-doubt stand-out: One Time. There is an immediate shift in style and vibe here with a more laid-back, simplistic quality that reminds the listener strongly of Clairo, who beabadoobee supported on her 2019 Immunity tour. The chorus has a euphoric quality, with the acoustic guitar being joined by a drumbeat and an airy electric guitar, all wound together with the catchy melody into a summery feel. Again, the electric gets its centre-stage moment in this track with an often intentionally off-key solo that brings the sonic diversity of the song to its height. This leads into the atmospheric bridge which encapsulates the focus on looking into the past and taking accountability through the introduction of a more childish vocal quality. This is achieved through the several layers of backing vocals that increase in volume until reaching shouting point in a final, climatic section; every musical element is maxed out and raucous until being brought right back down to just the guitar and the voice – a dynamic and unforgettable number.

Fourth track Real Man is a jazzy, artistic eye roll, based on the artist’s sub-par sexual experiences with men. The jaunty, simplistic acoustic guitar becomes deeper and more filled out as the song goes on and more elements are added, such as an additional vocal layer at the end of the second chorus; the spoken rather than melodic quality used here just epitomises that sense of dry disdain, with the jazz and blues elements perfectly capturing this change in tone after the first few tracks.

This is completely contrasted however in the next emotive and introspective number Tie My Shoes, in which we hear beabadoobee reflecting on her family’s wounds and how these have impacted her own relationships later in life. Needless to say, this song encapsulates the growth, evolution and introspective power that is so crucial to the album as a whole, taking us on a vulnerable, sax-pocketed journey through beabadoobee’s inner world. Vulnerability is the driving force in this track, introduced by the duo of just the singer and her guitar before the spacey electric and hazy vocals enter for the chorus. Here, beabadoobee masters the art of creating a full sound without making it overbearing; her power is in her artistry and how she spots ways to bring in elements smoothly, not in their volume or complexity. This – stripping the music back down to its most authentic form – was one of the most important aspects of this album’s creation. Despite the highly professional  nature of the production process, beabadoobee actively channelled and trusted the 17-year-old Bea who wrote Coffee in her bedroom. By working with long-time collaborators and friends such as producer Rick Rubin and co-producer/bandmate Jacob Budgen, a genuine honesty and love was brought to the project.

Similarly, the following track Girl Song oozes with relatability, consisting of just voice, piano and musings on the female experience in 2024, likely influenced by the artist’s overwhelmingly quick rise in media attention. There is a controlled breathiness used in the vocals to not only communicate vulnerability but also keep the basic foundation moving; no additions are needed in this raw and real expression of feeling. The short-n-sweet single Coming Home is up next with its quick waltzing guitar, pockets of violin and all-round old-timey feel. With the old-fashioned quality rife in the collective backing vocals and marching-band-esque drumbeat, a sense of dreaminess runs through both the instrumentals and sentimental lyrics, as if recorded from an old ballad-built vinyl record.

The album then moves on to another single Everseen, written during beabadoobee’s time on the road with Taylor Swift. The song’s country twang is a clear nod to this, as well as the sense of anticipation and height. The lyrics describe the overwhelming elatedness that has come with some of beabadoobee’s biggest events, such as playing on the biggest tour in history and taking the stage at Glastonbury Festival. The high pluck of the strings and twinkling elements are elevated by the use of strong horns and electric guitar and the combination of these delicately built up elements and the quick tempo is effective as it illustrates the mountainous feelings that come with rapid success without moving away from the artist’s signature, raw style.

This Is How Tomorrow Moves further proves itself to be an album of multitudes in the next track Cruel Affair with its bossa nova beats and echoey electric guitar. The lyrical theme is yet again new and nuanced, based around beabadoobee fighting the feelings of comparison and envy of another woman rather than celebrating the both of them in their own beauty and uniqueness. Following this is the powerful Post to close the original album – and it’s not difficult to see why it was placed here. The immediate heavy drum emphasis founds the track with strength and excitement, heightened by an electric guitar strumming motif. The supporting vocals have a delightfully spacey quality which is reminiscent of Towa Bird and opens up the track, blending well with the cut of the guitar and the prominent bass. Every element sends the listener away with a clear sense of who beabadoobee really is – and wants to be – as an artist.

But she hasn’t stopped there; four bonus tracks have been added to the original ten to give the fans even more Bea to stream through August and beyond. However, it has to be said that at this point in the album, these tracks feel slightly unnecessary and bring a sense of repetitiveness to an otherwise varied and stimulating body of work. The songs themselves are strong, but could perhaps have been released as their own EP so as not to undermine them, their character or that of the rest of the album.

The first of these bonus tracks is the summery single Beaches which was written about the artist’s time on the beach while writing and recording this album. Contrast is expertly used in this song. For example, the electric guitar is strong and edgy, showcased further in a twangy, impressive solo, but the tinkling wind chime element brings a sense of sunny delicacy. In the same way, the chilled tempo combines with crashing sounds, all giving the impression of jumping in headfirst and fully experiencing the entire moment; an immersive, idyllic track, despite the fact that we’ve definitely heard songs much like it by now. This approach – throwing absolutely everything into a track – has without a doubt come from beadbadoobee’s admiration of the same method used by The Beatles, one of her biggest musical inspirations alongside names like Fiona Apple and Elliott Smith. This Beatles influence can also be seen in the following song Everything I Want, a charming track about healthy love. The chord progressions, strumming patterns and frequent hammer-ons give the strong impression of an acoustic ‘60s Beatles number, with a dancing beat and a playfulness brought on by the percussion.

The album’s penultimate track The Man Who Left Too Soon however is starkly contrasting, depicting beabadoobee’s complicated feelings of grief over never having met her partner’s late father. This song is another short one and has an ethereal, almost fantasy feel in the beginning, accompanied by the picking of an acoustic guitar to create an elevated softness. Naturally, the track is intensely emotive and the backing vocal layers all join in with the melody line, bringing a sense of collective feeling, support and understanding. These threads of sweetness follow through into the very last waltzing track This Is How It Went. This song seems to be reflecting on beabadoobee’s own writing process this time around: listening to her very first inspirations, trusting her own ability and looking inside herself rather than out. The acoustic guitar strums are coupled with a counter-melody on the piano which makes it sound like a song from the ‘Paddington’ soundtrack: sweet, simple and serene.

As we come to the end of This Is How Tomorrow Moves, the feeling is akin to closing a diary; you could not feel closer to beabadoobee herself. The honest reflections, raw musical ability and broad range of personal topics covered give the album a definite stand-out quality in her discography, one that is simple and complex all at once. If you didn’t know beabadoobee before, you definitely will now.

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