SWEET, SOUR AND LOUD: BEABADOOBEE EXPERIMENTS ON NEW RECORD ‘PYLON’

ALBUM REVIEW | BEABADOOBEE – PYLON by Isobel O’Mahony

Bedroom artist turned indie rock songstress Beabdoobee is back with brand new record Pylon, a fourteen track album that appears to be her most experimental record yet. Bea’s impressive vocals are set freely over both loud, live-sounding crashes and softer instrumentals.

Title track ‘Pylon’ is a good indicator of what the record has in store, as it has Bea both going back to guitar strum basics and working in a louder, bigger sound. There’s a pattern of using familiar, more comforting acoustics on certain songs to spotlight the heavier tunes, which is masterful for the majority of the record. Every track however, feels big, with the addition of rogue echoes, natural sounds, and interesting genre-crossing elements. The guitar tone changes throughout; sometimes, like in ‘Pylon’ and ‘Switchblade’, there’s a county influenced twang to the instrument that emphasises the true experimentation of the album. 

The contrast between the softer and harder tracks mimics the lyrical contrast between sweet love songs and more painful stories. I think the more honeyed tracks listen better when looking at Pylon as a whole. From the simple but really lovely soundscape of ‘Write Me A Letter’, to the musically sugary but lyrically sad, drawn out waltz of ‘Spark’ is just as beautiful a composition. The record together doesn’t flow perfectly; it’s not meant to, but the songs alone hold up well. 

There are some true gems in the heavier stuff. ‘Nothing To Prove’ featuring the incredible Hayley Williams (Paramore), with her harmonies gracing the background, is the punky, “grrly” inspired track that I hoped would come about from the collaboration. The pre-chorus and the “la la la” motifs are bound to get stuck in heads, as is the twinkling guitar that sweeps across the song. The following tune, ‘Radio’, is another top one, with a crashy, more Britpop, Pixies feel to the guitar. It’s weirder, therefore fun, and is one that binds the music together despite the record’s element of contrast, embedding a true 2000s vibe. 

‘Powerlines’ with Turnstile’s Brendan Yates builds on a Y2K slow-dive dip, drawing out both artists’ talented vocals over a darker take on classic ‘indie’ guitar, and is one I can see being people’s favourite. I do wish the tracks were longer, but they are thorough and explored, using distance between the music and the vocals, and the vocals and the mic, to really build a feeling of far away. ‘Estraged’ does this well, more acoustically (sparks thoughts of Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged album), and ‘Sun Has Set’ instead embraces a heavier grunge.

The only tune that feels a little too far in one direction is ‘Switchblade’. When it came out as a single, I was confused about how it would fit into the record, and I still feel a little confused now. That guitar twang does bring it home, so it’s not completely an anomaly, but its haunting electronic twists just feel questionable, despite the innovative nature of the album.

Any weaker spot, however, is forgiven in the light of major highlights, such as the free and fun track ‘It’s Alright’, lovingly reminiscent of ‘Ever Seen’ from Bea’s previous release, This Is How Tomorrow Moves. The final song ‘Satellite’ is the real killer. The longest track on the album ties up every juxtaposition of sweet and sad, soft and heavy by combining both in one song. It has Bea’s vocals the most upfront, closest to the mic, than the other tunes, which tells you that this was intentionally the biggest song. She wanted to bring it home here after fourteen songs of experimenting and rightfully flaunting her craft. There’s crashing, there are breakdowns, there’s intense energy, but all cut through with sweetness and innocence. It confirms Pylon as a certainly satisfying listen. 

Beabadoobee’s latest release feels like another great stop on her evolution. There is true intention in her art, despite the live feel to the recordings, and she and the band are brilliant at trying new things and paying homage to the basics. Pylon has lots to be enjoyed on stage and will be the perfect darker evening listen for many. 

Pylon by Beabadoobee is out now via Dirty Hit. Listen now, or buy a copy here.

Catch Beabadoobee on her UK tour this November – tickets on sale now.