After the release of her sophomore album, Beatopia (2022), 23-year-old Beatrice Laus, better known as ‘beabadoobee’, has received well deserved success; to say Laus has had a busy year would be a grave understatement. From supporting Taylor Swift and playing sold out stadiums in the states to traveling across the world to perform at big time music festivals like Glastonbury and Coachella, the name ‘beabadoobee’ has become bigger and better than ever. While making her way around the world, beabadoobee has continued to write and record her best: ‘Glue Song’ was released this past February and became a Top 40 hit with over 125 million streams, and the momentum continues with her latest single ‘the way things go’.
The track opens with an orchestral ensemble and then switches to a more simple plucking of an acoustic guitar alongside other string instruments. The arrangement sounds as if a Wes Anderson movie could be presented sonically, especially when the chorus plays out. The melodies surrounding minute marker 1.22 (the beginning of the second refrain) are gorgeous and add depth to the rest of the track. Although simple-sounding upon first listen, it is anything but. I found myself rewinding the song a few times to re-listen to certain parts I had not noticed before. The layering of strings and, potentially a hint of woodwinds and bells, creates for an interesting listen, especially in conjunction with the story being told.
This track is completely self written, which is proven by the personal nature of the story. The delivery and cadence of each line matches the emotions they intend to portray, and the raw, delicate feel of Laus’ vocals are great.
The track tells its story differently from the typical ‘verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus’ song outline; the refrain is what originally sets the scene. Laus starts off by discussing her own indifference to the end of this relationship, or whomever the subject of the song may be, in a vague way. She expresses her emotions, but quickly shuts them down because ‘that’s the way things go’. When the chorus plays out, the story shows more resentment and sadness, but the vocal delivery remains the same, showing that Laus has moved past this.
The first and second verses that come after provide slightly more context, but the listener can gather that Laus had a lot of hope for this relationship and was severely let down, which is a sentiment most can relate to in some way or another. Although the lyrics are not chock full of literary devices, the simplistic lyrics coupled with Laus’ beautiful delivery make the message of the song hit strong.
Beabadoobee’s new track is accompanied by a music video as well which has pretty visuals and fun choreography…it seems as though my Wes Anderson comparison is not too far-fetched. Go give it a watch and a listen, because beabadoobee deserves it.
Photo: Antonious Cramer
