Beatopia. Beabadoobee

In 2020 Beabadoobee, Bea Laus, debuted with a nice album, 'Fake It Flowers'. It verged on pop and alternative rock. With time it slowly faded from active memory, but has been played a few times in 2022 and that is more than most albums can claim.

To my surprise there's already a new album, on which Beabadoobee not only continuous where she left off. She certainly has enriched her work. Creatively Beatopia is all over the place. She's not holding back anywhere, is my personal conclusion reached at from the outside listening in.

Let's start with the creative part. This sees to the music and well as the production and mix. Expect production tricks in the form of distorted vocals, mixed away lead notes, treated sounds in general, etcetera. The songs can go off into all sorts of way. Alternative rock in the best Sparklehorse tradition, modern beats, interludes and intro's. Wider productions and small songs dressed down to more elementary levels. Beabadoobee presents it all on her Beatopia and it's her world alright.

Despite all this, going through the album I do get a sense of uniformity. I know, it sounds like a paradox with the above in mind. This feeling disappears immediately when the songs are listened to individually, as with each the richness of the music comes forward immediately. So, it may be more a matter of concentration than anything else.

Promo photo

Bea Laus wrote most of the album with her live guitarist Jacob Bugden, assisted at times by friends and colleagues who happened to come by. Of course many songs came about during lockdown. That may explain why several songs are kept so small. At the same time Beabadoobee has let in many influences into her songs. Folk from the 1970s can easily get mixed with an oh so slow funky bass, only to get supplanted by a fiery alternative rock song, that is not afraid to tip the hat to New Zealand acts like The Beths or Wiri Donna. Variety is a keyword on Beatopia.

In a modest way Beabadoobee dares to be eclectic as The Beatles on its studio albums. No, I'm not claiming Beatopia is as good as a 'Sgt. Peppers' or 'Abbey Road', she dares to take on music in a similar way though. Her music is one without obvious boundaries. Influences can come from anywhere and anything and it shows on this album. Beatopia is rich in sound and in imagniation, in other words a giant step forward by a singer-songwriter who can only be seen as a major talent.

Wout de Natris

Beatopia can be listened to and ordered here:

https://beabadoobee.bandcamp.com/album/beatopia