Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers - A Review
By: Mallory Johnson
Phoebe Bridgers released her second solo album in 2020, and I recently listened to it for the first time. It is a beautiful album that reminds me of Folklore and Evermore by Taylor Swift. My favorite songs are Kyoto, Garden Song, Moon Song, and Graceland Too.
The song Kyoto seems like a happy song on the surface, but when you look at the lyrics it is the opposite. It is about Phoebe’s strained relationship with her dad, and how she always wants to be somewhere she is not. One of my lyrics in the whole album is “The doctor put her hands over my liver, she told me my resentment’s getting smaller,” from Garden Song. The song DVD Menu is interesting because it is instrumental, sets the mood for the album, and sounds the same as the end of I Know the End...so you know the end the whole time (and so the album loops beautifully). Phoebe recently performed Kyoto and I Know the End on Saturday Night Live. The song I Know the End is an eerie apocalyptic song, featuring Phoebe and her band screaming at the end. The song Punisher is a beautiful, heartbreaking song about the late Elliot Smith, fame, and fans. A lot of the songs on Punisher require a deep look at the lyrics to truly understand how heartbreaking they are.
Punisher discusses familial relationships, romantic relationships, murder, religion (or lack thereof) and mental health. Overall, I give Punisher a solid 10/10 and highly recommend listening to it!