Phoebe Bridgers Makes a Triumphant Return with New Single “Lost Boys”
Still from Phoebe Bridgers “Lost Boys” music video. Directed by: Lance Oppenheim and Pablo Rochat
Six years after her second solo album, Punisher, Phoebe Bridgers returns with “Lost Boys,” the first single from her upcoming album, Lost Weekend.
Despite singing about the magical, ageless lost boys of Peter Pan, “Lost Boys” feels more tragic than it does fantastical. A lost boy is someone who refuses to conform to society's norms and live in a world of childhood where they have no responsibilities and no obligations. Bridgers recounts her time spent with lost boys and calls them to her.
“In a twin bed / Where all will be forgiven in an instant / Hands in each other’s hair / We are born again / So who cares where we’re going? / In the morning, you are not there”
“Lost Boys” is perhaps best compared to the first single off of Punisher, “Kyoto.” Deceivingly upbeat, but once you pull the curtain, it has a deeper, sadder tone than its instrumentals show. Something that Bridgers has perfected over the years and comes to a culmination on this first single.
“Lost boys / Never grow up, never go home.” Is this Bridgers poking fun at the way some men can choose to ignore the needs of others and be so childishly selfish? Or is this Bridgers wanting to encapsulate some of that, and not care so much about what others think?
“Lost boys / Never grow up, never go home / Lost boys / Never spend their lunch money”
Bridgers reunites with longtime collaborator Tony Berg for the production of “Lost Boys,” and shoulder taps perhaps one of this decade's most employed producers, Jack Antonoff, to lend a hand.
The music video welcomes viewers into a world of motorcycle rides in full knight attire, floating swords, and hibachi dinners. Bridgers leads a group of men clad in knights’ armor and eventually captures the eye of another “lost boy,” and after he dons a biker helmet and a pickaxe he found in the garage, he gets to join Bridgers world of knights and parties in the woods.
It’s a triumphant return to the scene that captures Bridgers aesthetic and growth since her last solo project, Punisher, to the fullest extent.
Bridgers has been building anticipation for her upcoming album since early May, when she began a 19-show concert run announced with no warning and no social media advertising. But, perhaps, the most contentious point of these shows – there’s no video/photo proof they exist. All phones for these shows were placed in Yondr pouches and not unlocked until the show was concluded.
This dedication to creating an intimate experience for her shows continues on her sold-out North American tour in September. It is sure to make for a memorable experience for those who managed to snag a ticket.
You can pre-save Phoebe Bridgers' upcoming album Lost Weekend via the link here and preorder your preferred physical copy on her website.