With two studio albums under her belt, British-Filipino artist Beatrice Laus, aka Beabadoobee, released her third album, This is How Tomorrow Moves, on August 9th, 2024. The soft-rock siren gives fans another soundtrack to the joys and pains of girlhood. First debuting in 2018 with her EP Lice, Beabadoobee has continued to share her vulnerable reflections on love, loss, and acceptance of herself and the world around her.
SOUND
The nostalgia that illuminates throughout this album should be entirely credited to its singer-songwriter core. The lead single, “Take a Bite,” kicks off the project with a simple guitar structure and minor chord flips that highlight the alt-indie artist's late ’90s and early 2000s influence. We can hear the eerie discomfort as Beabadoobee recognizes her role in cultivating chaos within her life.
Through the next two tracks, “California” and “One Time,” intense percussion patterns and bass riffs, specifically on the outros, build up the emotional intensity as we hear her frustration and discontent in her relationship and herself. The stand-out track “Real Man” plays a transitional role in the album sonically with a 1920’s jazz-club swing beat. With a highlight on vocals, this song teases its listeners and its subject while she rides on a melody you can’t help but move to.
The album takes a turn and slows down into a more raw and intimate acoustic sound with tracks “Tie My Shoes”, “Coming Home”, and “Ever Seen”. The true ballad of the album “Girl Song” pairs vocals with only a piano and is the most personal introspection on her insecurities. The album’s center really strips down to a simplicity that allows her angelic vocals to take the stage.
Instrumentally, the last third of the album picks back up, creating the perfect blend of melancholy angst and radical acceptance that match what she exudes lyrically through each track. It is as if we were peeling an onion all the way down and then putting it back together. Her final song, “This Is How It Went,” complements its closure with keys and chords that feel like watching your favorite movie's closing credits.
LYRICS
In This Is How Tomorrow Moves, Beebadobee explores her inner landscape through transitioning out of a relationship and even deeper into herself. Immediately, listeners are aware of her struggle to let go truly and how it forces her to acknowledge her sick satisfaction and comfort of living within the tension and obsession that come with every memory of chaos. In “California”, she states, “Wanted to changе, it took a big fight//Call it a bluff, you'll see it real time//Wish you could see it's been a rough ride,” sharing how she navigates finding balance between career vs. love, dreams vs. reality, and ultimately head vs. heart. Floating between these spaces puts a spotlight on her insecurities. Beabadoobee expresses this exposure in “Girl Song” and “A Cruel Affair” with lyrics such as ‘Waking up to hardly recognizing my own face//Just a stranger in the mirror, thinking "Oh what a shame, didn't think she'd look this way"//Don't look no different to how I looked yesterday” and “Sweetest smile, with her eyes//Perfect style, she doesn't try//Why so many are so codependent, wasting time.” Internally and in comparison, Beabadoobee shows a struggle with self-image. She also reflects on her fears of making the same mistakes in future relationships as she hopes for and experiences new love. In “Everything I Want” she states that she’s “Trying to do it right this time”.
Themes of complacency and disappointment in love are what tether this album together. In “One Time” she states “Didn't believe the love you gave//It takes two people to make that mistake//You never tried//You never tried”, as well as “Keep on faking just to make it//What’s the point of fixing problems”. Her audience feels her lose hope in the ability to make the relationship work.
In “Real Man,” she taunts her future prospects, stating, “Guess I'm used to being disappointed, falling too fast//If you want it, go and get it, and I hope you last.” As she reflects on her romantic relationships with men, there are also many moments where the impact of her father causes a strain on her perspective and pursuit of romance. In “Tie My Shoes,” she reflects, “Waiting for you to tie my shoes//It's all gone loose, and the screws Are with my old man//He's got nothing to lose but to ruin my plans.” She hints at the distance and disappointment she experienced from her father. She also holds space for both of their pain and perspectives in “post.” She states “Said he's getting tired, running as fast as he can//Daddy always said he was half of a man//Life worth living, but hard as it gets//Guess sometimes you learn to forget.” She accepts that her father's hardships influenced the way he was able to show up for her. She also shares how, despite that, “All I wanted was to see your name on the post”. She works through her grief around losing connections romantically and possibly with her father in “The Man Who Left Too Soon.” She states “At least we get to look at the same moon”. Beabadoobee’s writing is a testament to her critical exploration of herself through a multitude of lenses in an attempt to be present and, more importantly, move forward.
ART BEHIND THE ALBUM
The This Is How Tomorrow Moves album cover is a candid shot and a portrait photo of the artist. As she grips her chest, it almost seems as if she is in an argument or mid-statement of trying to prove something. Compared to previous covers where illustration and editing take precedence, this cover stands out. She also released three visuals for single “Take A Bite”, and tracks “Ever Seen” and “Beaches” that each take a stylistic nod to early 2000’s music videos and performances.
The emotional range that is cohesively blended and poured into this album makes it the perfect project to jump, kick, scream, and cry in your bed, too. As she floats into the mainstream, This Is How Tomorrow Moves solidifies her space and is rated a 9/10 on the Intersect Rating Scale.
Stream the album below.
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