On August 9, beabadoobee released her much anticipated third studio album “This is How Tomorrow Moves.” The Filipino-born English artist has risen to fame in recent years with the release of her sophomore album, “Beatopia,” and viral pop culture moments, such as her name drop in the recent season of Love Island USA, and this clip of Jimmy Fallon introducing her before a performance of “The Perfect Pair.”
With “This is How Tomorrow Moves,” Bea focuses ultimately on relationships. Through its 41-minute play time, Bea sings about her relationships with exes, her current boyfriend, strangers online and with her dad. Most importantly, though, Bea shows us how ultimately all of these relationships impact and shape her relationship with herself.
Through this album, listeners come to understand Bea’s own journey with self-acceptance and self-actualization, as she details the struggles of growing and learning to be comfortable with who you are.
Songs like “California,” “One Time,” “Real Man” and “This is How It Went” touch on the ups and downs of tumultuous romantic relationships. Meanwhile, with “Tie My Shoes” and “The Man Who Left Too Soon,” Bea delves into her relationship with her father, and how him not being there for her throughout her childhood continues to affect her today.
“A Cruel Affair” and “Girl Song” describe Bea’s struggles with womanhood and with comparing herself to other women she sees online. Ultimately, in “A Cruel Affair,” Bea comes to the powerful conclusion that one person’s beauty online doesn’t diminish her own and determines that we can all be pretty and we can all be worthy, making comparison meaningless.
The lyricism on “This is How Tomorrow Moves” is truly incredible. Penned entirely by Bea herself, the lyrics aren’t necessarily complex, but that doesn’t make them any less impactful.
Every song comes across as authentic and effortlessly cool, making listening to the album feel like a peek into Bea’s psyche- no holds barred. A stand-out song from the album is “Beaches.” A slow-rock jam, “Beaches” uses its 3-minute and 51-second run time to explore the process of getting true peace of mind. The lyrics “I’m sure now, I’m sure” ring throughout the chorus as Bea details moments of doubt, while ultimately settling on the conclusion “Don’t wait for the tide just to dip both your feet in/ Cause I’m sure now, I’m sure.”
The real stunner of this album is the production. Produced by Jacob Bugden and Rick Rubin, the diversity in genres, instruments and styles keeps the listener entertained and on their toes throughout a top-to-bottom listen-through.
By fusing rock, pop, electronic, jazz and Western elements, “This is How Tomorrow Moves” has a sound that is entirely unique. Here, Rubin and Bugden have created a soundscape that transports the listener into a separate world without the limitations of genre or convention, in order to deliver a great listen. An aspect of the production people favor are the horns on songs such as “Coming Home” and “Tie My Shoes.” They sound so beautiful and soft and unexpected, making them a great, albeit unconventional, addition to this pop-rock-jazz fusion album.
Ultimately, Bea delivers on every single front with this project. “This is How Tomorrow Moves” solidifies beabadoobee’s place as an artist, blending a variety of genres to create an album that is as diverse in sound as it is in emotional depth.
Each track not only showcases Bea’s lyrical prowess but also her ability to resonate deeply with her audience. With standout contributions from producers Bugden and Rubin, the album’s unique soundscape defies conventional boundaries, making every listen an engaging and immersive experience.
Ultimately, “This is How Tomorrow Moves” is more than just an album; it’s a testament to beabadoobee’s evolution as an artist and a look into the musicianship that we can come to expect from Bea in the future.
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