As Phoebe Bridgers prepares to release her third solo album, Lost Weekend, the artist suddenly seems to be everywhere. I wrote about her latest single, “Lost Boys”, here. But if you are new to Bridgers, here are three interesting facts to slightly (and yes, I’ll happily split this infinitive) catch you up to speed. Lost Weekend is due August 14 and follows Punisher, which was released in 2020.
A Guitar for Shredders
When Bridgers reaches for an electric guitar, it’s not what one might expect from an indie folk singer. Instead of a Fender Telecaster or Jazzmaster, a Gibson SG or Epiphone Casino, Bridgers plays, among other instruments, a B.C. Rich Warlock. For those who are unfamiliar, here’s a list of fellow guitarists who also play a Warlock: Kerry King from Slayer, Blackie Lawless from W.A.S.P., Mick Mars from Mötley Crüe, and Lita Ford. Typically, a guitar of choice for heavy metal shredders, Bridgers proves you can do much more with a pointy guitar than shout—or shred—at the devil.
Elliott Smith
On the influence of Elliott Smith on her music, Bridgers said, “It’s like The Beatles to me.” She even once surprised Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst with a Smith deep cut. She told NPR, “The first time I met Conor Oberst, I was playing this club in L.A. I played ‘Whatever (Folk Song In C)’, and then my song ‘Motion Sickness’. He was like, ‘Wow, I loved those last two songs.’ I was like, ‘Well, yeah — I played one of mine and then the Elliott Smith song.’ And he was like, ‘No, you didn’t. That’s not an Elliott Smith song.’” But it is, and I’d recommend exploring Smith’s posthumous release, New Moon, too.
Better Oblivion Community Center
You likely know Bridgers’s indie supergroup, Boygenius, her trio featuring Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker. But Bridgers is also one half of a superduo with Conor Oberst called Better Oblivion Community Center. They released a self-titled album in 2019, which features the kind of emotionally raw songwriting that echoes both Oberst’s and Bridgers’s many sad masterpieces. Check out the gorgeous “Didn’t Know What I Was In For”.
My telephone, it doesn’t have a camera,
If it did, I’d take a picture of myself.
If it did, I’d take a picture of the water.
And the man on the offramp,
Holding up the sign that’s asking me for help.
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella