The Weekly Coos

Beabadoobee’s music has always hit a soft spot via the sound that has influenced her heavily, like 00s Alt-Rock. There was this sense of wonder, where pop was only a sub-product of the progressiveness brought to the table; however, there maintains an inconsistency that derides what would be more fantastic listens. That changes with This Is How Tomorrow Moves, her latest album co-produced by Rick Rubin and Jacob Bugden, her vocals are polished and it gives us something more internal to who Beabadoobee is emotionally but plays it safe with the production at times, never seeming to take that extra step into something more affluent. That isn’t to say the quality is bad, it’s just that it sounds like we’re hearing something out of a time capsule without the oomph to make you feel that sense of nostalgia. Some songs come with boisterous highs and middling lows that get combed over slightly feeling homogenized and offering little threads to hear something astute. The album is personal and finds ways to make some of its production second nature, allowing Beabadoobee’s words to elevate it to new heights, even if more inconsistent.

Lyrically, This Is How Tomorrow Moves is some of Beabadoobee’s best as she digs into the crevices of her soul and we hear more of those raw emotions you don’t get glimpses of when they tour (Behind the Scenes), or live life outside the studio. It adds more humanity to her person, giving us something relatable and noteworthy, like the feelings of longing or not suited to this new life bestowed via newfound fame. Though the latter feels more niche, it’s an embodiment of change, something we know all too well. Beabadoobee delivers it with such tenderness and radiance, that you’re almost left mildly stunned that the production isn’t taking much chances with its percussion or strings, feeling more entwined with modest singer-songwriter genre flair. It gives her this different identity without straying far from what made us fans since the beginning. We may not get something akin to “Last Days On Earth” or “Talk,” but what we are getting is a more intimate journey that bolsters the amount of connectivity you’ll feel alongside a track like “California.” It’s a beautifully composed song that uses location as the analogy for feeling stranger, considering the distance between there and the UK.

Without Beabadoobee’s improved and matured writing, the album would lose luster quickly, especially when the tempos come off sounding too homogenized, creating what can be “boring.” In a sense, the album has monotonous moments, like in the case of “Girl Song” and “Post.” It’s rather common with most singer-songwriters and the underlying poppy textures she imbues. When the album is coming to a close, the pop starts to get highlighted more like with the more islandy and calming nature of “Everything I Want” or the more whimsically upbeat “The Man Who Left Too Soon,” where the dreamy vocals and more pronounced production gives you more of an antithesis of what you’ve gotten prior—emotive acoustics of “Tie My Shows” that evolve into something more Alt-Rock with Jazzy subtleties giving it definition or the minimalistic acoustics of “Coming Home,” as it lets Beabadoobee be more expressive beneath the surface. Whereas past albums had this more organized eclecticism, this is more tightly focused by having control of one angle and making it shine from front to back. Unfortunately, it does come at the cost of some of the sounds, where it consents to playing it safer to allow for fewer distractions.

Though the production plays it safe, it doesn’t necessarily reflect weakness, but it does get disappointing when they don’t toe the line further. It’s why some later tracks have more sizzle than much of her ballad-influenced performances. Some good instrumentations boost Beabadoobee’s vocal performances to get floating as the focal point and make her words more impactful. It makes the stories and themes feel more poignant, so even when “A Cruel Affair” and “Beaches” tread familiarity with each other in the rock-sphere, tracks like the latter can bolster what the impact could be by what she sings. It isn’t Beabadoobee’s best, as nothing has matched the potency of her debut, where she had a finite sound that didn’t feel so novel. She has ideas and implements them greatly; it is something we heard from her EP, Our Extended Play, which took the instruments by the horns and went somewhere fun with it. This new album may sound more mature, but it’s just an idea implemented by style and introspection, where the writing isn’t as one-dimensional. If the production had more zeal it’d be more of a vibrant smash, instead, we’re getting this intimate and tender album that breaks down more walls.

This Is How Tomorrow Moves is a good album that gives us something different from Beabadoobee without losing who she is. It’s modest and bright, but more so impactful because Beabadoobee is breaking down her walls and getting through some deep-rooted feelings that will consistently hit hard, like her strained relationship with her father on “Tie My Shoes,” and more. It’s a solid entry into her discography and leaves me curious about which direction she chooses next—back to her roots, or elevating more of what we got here. Either way, choosing Rick Rubin and Jacob Bugden to produce was an interesting choice that landed differently than expected but still interesting, so expect me to return to the highs of this album.