Beatopia / beabadoobee / July 15, 2022
- Joshua Yoo
- Sep 2, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 22, 2022
Bea (beabadoobee) has come a long way from her bedroom indie acoustic beginnings, but even through her heavy lean on different shades of ‘90s rock over her past number of releases, she seems to have come almost full circle. As reflected by the title (a reference to her 7-year-old fantasy world) and admirably childish drawing on the album cover, ‘Beatopia’ sees Bea letting down her guard musically and lyrically, more confident in her past and present identities, and letting the ideas she’s always had come to life with this developed confidence.
Unlike the darker undertones of her debut, ‘Beatopia’ reflects a lighter and more emotionally varied palette of themes, sometimes tugging on meaningful and personal ideas (“Ripples”), and sometimes just having plain, and sometimes charmingly nonsensical, fun (You’re Here That’s the Thing”). It allows the album to breathe, not pigeon-holed into one mood or color, and it imprints a lightheartedness that makes so many of the songs so easy to return to over and over again.
The spectrum of instrumentals provides a variety of appeal for different listeners, from her classic indie rock outfit (“10:36”), to cozy acoustic ballads (“Lovesong”), to washed out hazy alternative cuts (“Pictures of Us”), and even bossa nova (“The Perfect Pair”). There’s still the common denominator that is the tenderness of her musical presence, ubiquitous in her voice and arrangement choices, which continues to argue the case for how she stands out among her contemporaries.
This emotional intimacy and candor has never shined more than it does on ‘Beatopia’, and it makes the album quite accessible, especially for younger audiences. It’s unapologetically carefree and comforting at the same time, paired with confident songwriting, and it all points to Bea’s future as a voice for those the same age as her.
Highlight(s): The Perfect Pair, Tinkerbell Is Overrated, See you Soon, Ripples, Pictures of Us, You’re Here That’s the Thing, Sunny Day, 10:36
Lowlight(s): Talk, Broken Cd
SCORE: 8/10
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