Album Review: Punisher

I'm going to start writing short reviews for the big event indie rock records that come out. These are the albums that I want to talk about on the blog, but not necessarily in the context of Record Club. I wrote about Record Club theory already, so check that out HERE, and then read this short review that I'm gonna bang out just so no one can pick it for Record Club.

Punisher

Phoebe Bridgers

My love for Phoebe Bridgers is well documented, and so it's no surprise that I love her new album, Punisher. There is no artist working today that does slow music like this. It's also well-documented that I am a proponent of fast, energetic rockers, so falling in love with sparse, folky tunes like this means a lot to me. Bridgers cuts through the bullshit and hits me right in the heart.

That's not to say that the faster songs here aren't my favorite, because they are. "Kyoto" really fucking moves, "Chinese Satellites" has its moments. Then, of course, there is the absolute stunner of a closer, "I Know the End," which might be the song of the year right now. After an album full of deep, heartfelt strumming, the whole thing blows up in a collective scream, crashing to a close in a moment of such pure terror and pain and awe, so much so that I had to hide the tears coming down my face from Pam as we drove home from Horsham the other night, listening to it.

Plus, Phoebe Bridgers is taking on some serious Sufjan Stevens vibes throughout the whole of Punisher, which is something I can appreciate. But despite the (unintentional) homages to that towering indie rock figure, Bridgers makes an album that is singularly hers. There is no one doing what she's doing on the level that she is doing it... well, at least, there's no one doing it to me, anyway.

GRADE: 4 pukes out of 5