Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus, a Filipino-British singer known to fans as beabadoobee, released her album “Pylon” on Sept. 18. From the start, the album presents a grungy sound, with 14 songs that explore a blend of electric guitar and beabadoobee’s pop influences.
The album opens with the starting track “Pylon,” whose first lines “I’d rather be nowhere with you than somewhere without you,” immediately provide a lyrical baseline for the album’s storyline. As the song progresses, her electric guitar becomes a key driving force, carrying into the following track, “Sun Has Set.”
While “Sun Has Set” is not drastically sonically different from “Pylon,” it continues the album’s emphasis on electric guitar while incorporating the pop style beabadoobee has developed throughout her career.
The combination can also be heard in her earlier song “If You Want To,” originally released in 2018, which similarly blends her guitar-driven sound with a softer approach.
So, what does this say about beabadoobee and what she is giving her audience this year through her music? Simply put, her voice is shifting slightly from some of her more popular releases, such as “Real Man,” which was featured on the album “This Is How Tomorrow Moves.” With “Pylon,” beabadoobee presents a grittier and more rebellious side of herself.
Visually, there is a noticeable change in how she presents herself through her album artwork. Compared to her previous albums, “Pylon” has a more natural, messy and playful aesthetic. There is a sense of imperfection to the visuals.
“Estranged” is much more lively, with the uncomfortable lyric: “but I don’t wanna feel it feeling the same.”
The beabadoobee that listeners have come to love is not gone and that becomes especially apparent in the album’s 12th track, “Spark.” Here, her original sound returns through a playful and melodic style.
Her verses carry a clear emotional weight, while the album’s closing feels more airy without straying from her grunge-influenced style. Rather than abandoning her signature sound, beabadoobee allows it to remain present, demonstrating that she is not confined by a singular image. The qualities that first made her music resonate with listeners are still there, even as she continues to evolve her sound.