NEW LP
New sealed copy. 2022 repress.
Phoebe Bridgers' second studio album, Punisher, was released on June 18, 2020, through Dead Oceans. Recorded over a year and a half at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles, the album reunited Bridgers with producers Tony Berg and Ethan Gruska, who also worked on her 2017 debut Stranger in the Alps. The recording process was collaborative, with liner notes crediting over two dozen musicians including Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, Christian Lee Hutson, Jim Keltner, Blake Mills, and Conor Oberst.
Bridgers began developing songs for the album while touring, with many predating the release of Stranger in the Alps. She continued double tracking all vocals as a tribute to Elliott Smith, and the album mixes arpeggiated guitar work with looping synths and groaning strings. Described as indie rock, emo-folk, and indie folk, the album tackles themes of missed connections, the tension between inner and outer self, and the lonely ache of watching things end. The album is dedicated to Max, Bridgers' pug who passed away in 2019.
Punisher received widespread critical acclaim, earning a Metacritic score of 90/100 indicating "universal acclaim." Pitchfork awarded it Best New Music, while NME gave it a perfect score. The album was supported by five singles including "Garden Song," "Kyoto," and "I Know the End," and received three Grammy nominations including Best Alternative Music Album. It appeared on numerous year-end lists, ranking number 1 on Esquire, Slate, and Under the Radar's best albums of 2020.
TRACKLIST:
A1 DVD Menu
A2 Garden Song
A3 Kyoto
A4 Punisher
A5 Halloween
A6 Chinese Satellite
B1 Moon Song
B2 Savior Complex
B3 ICU
B4 Graceland Too
B5 I Know The End
