Punisher

Phoebe Bridgers is back. Although, to be fair, I’m not sure she ever left. Not content with 2017’s Stranger In The Alps, a debut that found itself no small amount of critical acclaim, she went on to record two other projects whilst recording her sophomore album. Both 2018’s boygenius and 2019’s Better Oblivion Community Centre were lauded, leaving Bridgers one of the most talked-about figures in indie-folk today. Punisher is a dense second record, both lyrically and sonically. At its core, the album deals with Bridgers’ relationships – her friendship, family and romance – and the power dynamics therein. The most accomplished moment for me on the album, though, is the ending. Uplifting, funny and devastating by parts, it’s the work of an artist who can demolish her listener with almost comic ease. Punisher will, indeed, punish you – but it is so, so worth it.