Phoebe Bridgers releases ambitious third album Lost Weekend

After nearly four years away from the solo spotlight, Phoebe Bridgers released her third studio album Lost Weekend on August 14 through Dead Oceans. It is her first solo record since Punisher in June 2020, and features her first original studio material since the 2022 single Sidelines. The album spans sixteen tracks and was written during a period in Bridgers' life marked equally by loss and new love.

The past few years have been eventful for the Los Angeles singer songwriter. She made a major splash with the supergroup Boygenius, a collaboration with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, whose debut album drew widespread acclaim and led to an extensive tour that ran well into 2024. She also performed a dozen shows as part of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. On a personal level, she lost her father, ended her relationship with actor Paul Mescal, and began a new relationship with comedian and writer Bo Burnham, who appears on Lost Weekend as a credited contributor.

The album is produced by Bridgers herself alongside Tony Berg and Ethan Gruska, both of whom worked on Punisher and her debut Stranger in the Alps, as well as Jack Antonoff and Alex G. Additional contributors include Blake Mills, Conor Oberst, Christian Lee Hutson, and mandolinist Chris Thile. Her Boygenius bandmates Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus also appear on the record, as does Bo Burnham as a vocalist. In a charming touch, her brother Jackson and her pug Maxine both contributed vocals as well.

Musically, Lost Weekend is more varied than its predecessor. The album moves between intimate folk and dreamy Americana on one end, and experimental electronics and vocoder chords on the other. Some tracks function as atmospheric interludes while others stand fully on their own. The title track samples the piece Notjustmoreidlechatter by composer Paul Lansky. Songs like Never Going Back! lean into unfiltered Americana, while elsewhere a ghostly high operatic voice surfaces in The Governor's Waltz. The Dutch review in Het Parool described the album as more inspiring than Punisher and praised its unexpected turns for holding the listener's attention despite the lengthy runtime.

The lead up to the release was extensive. Bridgers made her first solo live appearance in three years in May, playing a show for an audience of four hundred in Roswell, New Mexico. A series of smaller, phone free pop up shows followed. This all built toward a major concert on June 4 at Madison Square Garden, sponsored by Tidal. Shortly after, she announced a full fall tour. Listening events were held around the world, including in planetariums, and in Los Angeles Bridgers personally guided fans through a listening party held at a roller skating rink.

Dutch fans have particular reason to look forward to what's ahead. Bridgers is scheduled for a North American and European tour in 2025 in support of Lost Weekend. The European dates will feature Isaac Wood as the opening act, the former frontman of Black Country, New Road, while the North American dates will be opened by Alex G.