Phoebe Bridgers, Lost Boys | Song Review

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers brings the heat on “Lost Boys,” the strong lead single from her third album, Lost Weekend.

Noted, Phoebe Bridgers! The Grammy-winning queer singer-songwriter is back with album number three, Lost Weekend. Leading that lost weekend is the lead single and second track, “Lost Boys”. Bridgers composed the track alongside Christian Lee Hutson, Marshall Vore, Bo Burnham, and Alex G.  She produced it with Tony Berg, Jack Antonoff, and Ethan Gruska, with additional production by Alex G.

“Lost Boys” runs about four and a quarter minutes. Rich in instrumentation, instrumental contributions arrive courtesy of the producers mentioned earlier, as well as Rob Moose, who performs and arranges the strings.  Adding to the personnel are background vocals by some familiar names: Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus.  So, beyond these stacked credits, how impressive is “Lost Boys?” Very impressive – it’s Phoebe Bridgers, after all! Bridgers sounds beautiful as she sings.  She never forces things, singing with ease but expressively. That said, there are a few more assertive moments as the song progresses. The alternative aesthetic is in full force.  Beyond lovely vocals, the theme and lyrics are captivating, while the melodiousness – the tunefulness – is indisputable.  “On a motorbike, doing 90 in a 55 / To another life,” she sings in the first verse, and continues, “Where they make you cut your hair / Impatient with a rifle and your papers / Weightless but not scared.” Ooh, it’s easy to see where this is going…  In the second verse, the lost boy, “Threw a tantrum with a 57 / And broke a rib / You told me you wish you were dead.”  Oh, snap! But there’s atonement: “In a twin bed / Where all will be forgiven in an instant / Hands in each other’s hair / We are born again.” Word. The jam-packed musical accompaniment contributes greatly to how the song percolates, particularly during the centerpiece, the tuneful chorus:  “Lost boys / Never grow up, never go home…” All told, Phoebe Bridgers brings the heat with “Lost Boys”.  It’s well-rounded in just about every way: vocals, songwriting, and arrangement/production. What more can you ask for?

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