It has taken a while for beabadoobee, or 24-year-old Beatrice Laus, to find her sound. From the bedroom pop of her early EPs to the alternative grunge rock of Fake It Flowers to the potpourri of genres found on Beatopia, beabadoobee is no stranger to experimentation. But amidst the experimentation, she still maintained her signature dreamy melodies and introspective lyrics, which made thousands of Gen-Z fans flock to her. Having laid such strong groundwork for herself on her previous albums, she easily could have ventured into any of these different directions. However, experimentation takes a back seat on This Is How Tomorrow Moves. The result is a distinctly beabadoobee-esque album that lacks the thrill of something new.
The album has enough elements to make it enjoyable: sonically, the bossa nova and Latin jazz influences make ‘A Cruel Affair’ feel like a sequel to ‘The Perfect Pair’ from Beatopia, but still feel fresh and exciting in the context of the album. Similarly, the country-tinted ‘Everseen’ – a product of her time touring with Taylor Swift as her opener for The Eras Tour – is a welcome shift in sound mid-record.
In fact, it isn’t difficult to imagine many of these songs slotting in seamlessly with her previous efforts
With Laus having enlisted legendary producer Rick Rubin on this album, there is no denying the production on This Is How Tomorrow Moves is polished and beautifully slick. The instrumentals are skillfully layered and do well to bolster her breathy vocals, whether it be the jazzy saxophones on ‘Tie My Shoes’ or the string arrangements that make several appearances throughout. But instead of driving her down any one of the avenues she dipped her toe into on Beatopia, or, indeed, in a completely new direction, the samey production pushes her into a comfortable yet overly familiar beabadoobee-shaped box. In fact, it isn’t difficult to imagine many of these songs slotting in seamlessly with her previous efforts. The thrashing guitars in ‘California’ would sound right at home on Fake It Flowers, whereas ‘Tie My Shoes’ eerily echoes tracks from her 2021 EP, Our Extended Play.
However, where This Is Where Tomorrow Moves shows significant growth is in its songwriting. The LP sees Laus step away from blaming others for her feelings and instead take accountability for her actions, whether it be her commendable self-awareness on ‘Take a Bite’ and ‘One Time’ or her newfound maturity on ‘Real Man’, where she recalls an underwhelming one-night stand.
This Is How Tomorrow Moves still marks a step forward in beabadoobee’s growth as an artist
When she isn’t basking in her outward-facing confidence, Laus still leans into her vulnerability, perhaps another product of her time touring with Swift. Pairing razor-sharp lyrics with a silky piano arrangement, ‘Girl Song’ is an emotional whirlwind of a track where she methodically breaks down her insecurities. And then, without a moment to reflect on the emotional weight of what has come before, Laus proceeds to propel the listener into ‘Coming Home’, a heartfelt ballad describing coming home to her boyfriend and cats after being on tour, providing some much-needed comfort in the wake of ‘Girl Song’.
Despite this brief stalling in the evolution of her sound, This Is How Tomorrow Moves still marks a step forward in beabadoobee’s growth as an artist. Strong lyrics with newfound boldness make for a record that is, while not particularly innovative, still relatable and enjoyable. In the words of beabadoobee herself, “In a way, I’m still figuring it out in my own way”, and that’s okay. There will be more beabadoobee records in the future, and one minor hiccup will not tarnish everything she’s accomplished thus far.
Recommended listening: ‘Girl Song’
Words by Sophie Flint Vázquez.
Image: Ian Cheek PR
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