beabadoobee Gets Back to Her Roots on New Single ‘Switchblade’
London singer-songwriter beabadoobee is back with a bang on her emphatic new song, ‘Switchblade‘.
Following the release of ‘Sun Has Set‘ last month, ‘Switchblade‘ is the second single from her upcoming fourth studio album, ‘Pylon‘. While her last record stripped away the distortion to let the songwriting shine, these latest offerings suggest that the artist has returned to her fuzzy, alt-rock roots with aplomb.
I’ve been a fan of beabadoobee since the release of her second album, ‘Beatopia‘. Although I loved the pared-back, “meat and potatoes” pop-rock of her previous effort – 2024’s ‘This Is How Tomorrow Moves‘ – I admittedly found myself missing the eclectic shoegaze-pop of her old sound. This new song is precisely what I was pining for. The evolution of their songwriting continues to impress, but aesthetically, ‘Switchblade‘ is more akin to her first two records.
Opening with a wall of feedback, the track bursts into life with a grinding electronic drumbeat. This is accompanied by stacks of acoustic guitar – both clean and distorted. A return to the hazy, faded splendour she perfected on ‘Beatopia‘ is immediately apparent; this is all about the distortion. Weaving around the artist’s delicate vocals, the guitars punctuate the end of each verse, emphasising each final lyric with stabs of fuzz that would make My Bloody Valentine blush.
At times, the music feels almost industrial. It’s partly the incessant looping of the rhythm section, partly the layers of overdriven rhythm guitars. It all coalesces into something more reminiscent of 90s-era Nine Inch Nails than the dream pop Bea is best known for. The second chorus even features a rare belting performance from the singer. It pushes her voice to its breaking point alongside the airy, Elliott Smith-inspired whisper she’s best known for.
Regarding the forthcoming album, the Filipino-born artist – real name Beatrice Laus – says:
“Pylon is about accepting that negative feelings are going to come back, accepting the insecurity and feeling confused. It’s all a necessary part of growing and knowing yourself better. You have to go through all that shit, I have to write about it.”
A theme that we can all relate to, I’m sure.
As a long-time fan of beabadoobee, ‘Switchblade‘ is everything I wanted and more. Her songwriting continues to come on leaps and bounds, and after streamlining the arrangements last time around, this artist is back to the sonic experimentation she does so well. Personally, I cannot wait for this album.
beabadoobee is on Instagram, X, Threads, and TikTok. ‘Switchblade‘ is available to buy here, or watch the official lyric video below. Read more song reviews here.
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