Phoebe Bridgers: Lost Weekend

I heard all the indie hype around Punisher (Bridgers’ 2020 breakout). I listened that album at the time, but it never resonated with me. However, I loved her in the indie supergroup boygenius. I never really had a sense of who was who (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus) on their album the record (2023) – I just enjoyed the vibes. Lost Weekend has got me hooked. It takes Bridgers’ folk-rock sound to a more adventurous and ambitious place.

In a recent feature in Nylon magazine, the author writes: “Bridgers has fine-tuned the specific sound of melancholy with a wink. Her pen is sharp and her heart is firmly on her sleeve.” That is an excellent summary of Bridgers.

Although Bridgers has not done traditional press to promote Lost Weekend, she has made it known that the new album is a cathartic work dealing with romantic breakups, her complicated relationship with her father, his death, the ups and downs of fame, and new romance. A lot has happened in Bridgers’ life since her last album: a high-profile romance with Irish actor Paul Mescal, a public breakup with Mescal, her father’s death, fame and fortune, cool friends like Taylor Swift and Maggie Rogers, and a more private romance with American comedian and actor Bo Burnham. All of this is on full display on Lost Weekend and in her college radio track-by-track commentary.

Normally, I would not be drawn into my-life-as-art musings of a sad girl pop star, but Bridgers delivers so successfully that I can’t be cynical (my Mount Rushmore artist, Joni Mitchell, pulled off a similar trick in her career). Bridgers has more in common with Bon Iver than Taylor Swift (who said about Lost Weekend: “Haven’t been able to stop listening. This album is an absolute triumph in every way.“). Her lyrics are deep, and I assume a big attraction for her fans, but what really draws me in is the music (keep in mind I am a Dylan fan who is more into his music than his lyrics). The music is a combination of folk, rock, and electronica – the arrangements are deceptively simple on first blush, but almost symphonic upon a deeper listen. Vocally, Bridgers can go from a whisper to a scream (frequently in the same song). Despite her sad-girl persona, Bridgers is often fun and funny, yet always poignant.

Although there are some great songs on this album, there isn’t a stand-out single. This is an album that needs to be consumed in its enitrety. If you are not ready to commit to 52 minutes, start with the songs “Bobby” (about falling in love) and “The Governor’s Waltz” (about the perils of success). Those two will give you a good feel for the vibe of Lost Weekend.

Lost Weekend includes several collaborators, including: Alex G, Jack Antonoff, Julien Baker, Bo Burnham, Lucy Dacus, Christian Lee Hutson, Caroline Shaw, Chris Thile, and Cameron Winter (who is credited via an alias: Son-John Johnson). Most songs have multiple songwriting credits, but they’re pure Phoebe Bridgers.

Bridger’s has clearly struck a chord at this moment. She sold out 34 arena shows in minutes (the tour was expanded to 45 shows). It is a top album of the year on Metacritic (91). Lost Weekend is this year’s Getting Killed (Geese 2025), that is, the album that captures the indie rock zeitgeist.