Beabadoobee’s This Is How Tomorrow Moves: A Bold New Era

– Written by Jackson Skam –

Beabadoobee might have been one of my favourite artists to discover. I was first introduced to her song “The Perfect Pair” via none other than the algorithmic powers of TikTok, and from this instance I was addicted. Listening to releases such as her commercial and sonic hit sophomore album Beatopia and her sick af EP, Loveworm, I felt like I came across a very special artist – one who I still think to this day has such a one of a kind feel to her music. Clearly, I had found a new staple artist for my music taste.

And then 2023 came around, and Beabadoobee decided to push the pedal to the metal and go on an incredible release run of genre defying singles, straying from the typical release’s fans had come to expect. Starting off the year strong was “Glue Song”, a song released around Valentine’s Day that is a wonderful and joyous love song which perfectly encapsulates the attachment that is often found once finding someone special. Then came summer and Bea decided to pull a thematic U-turn, releasing the bitter “The Way Things Go” about the horrific dissolution of a previous relationship. Finishing the year was a collaboration with jazz-pop phenomenon, Laufey, on “A Night To Remember” which sounds like something straight out of La La Land. 

What would be the best way to end off a year of stellar music? Rumours of a new album! 

As 2023 came to a close, along with a live album from a performance at the Greek Theatre in L.A., word began to spread about her new project in the works, which was teased earlier in April. Bea would post to Twitter/X, “bea3 best one yet … next year is gonna be so much fun, hold tight”. Accompanying the post were photos of her band in the studio, as well as one with Bea sitting with the industry legend, Rick Rubin! 

So, with an album confirmed and the anticipation of a collaboration with Rick Rubin, 2024 was shaping up to be a killer year for Beabadoobee fans. 

And so it was, with This Is How Tomorrow Moves being officially announced in May, alongside the release of a lead single called “Take A Bite”. This track was a great intro to this era of Beabadoobee releases as it retains many of the aspects that made the band big, but also sees some jazzy influence through a little bit of spoken word delivery. Safe to say though that this initial release did its job and had me hooked to see what was next.   

Bea would then follow-up with three other singles ahead of the release date of August 9^th. “Coming Home” again showed a much new direction in her writing, with it being an apologetic song based on a fight that she’d had with her boyfriend, which she mentioned in an interview with Rick Rubin. Beabadoobee has already proven to be a master at the art of a love song, however, with this direction of delving into different complexities within love shows a great sense of maturity which will continue to drive this album. 

Subsequently was “Ever Seen” which I think serves as a perfect sequel to her 2023 single “the way things go”. The latter was very bitter and had a classical influence with a string ensemble and woodwinds backing Bea’s guitar and vocals. It was about a relationship that ended terribly and was, in a nutshell, a big old “fuck you” to the other party. On the flipside, “Ever Seen” is much more joyous and hopeful track and has influenced more rooted in jazz and folk. This time around, Bea is determined to avoid past relationship mistakes (a nod to “the way things go”) and feels truly loved now that she’s with someone who says something so easy, yet so profound as that she has “the prettiest eyes [they’d] ever seen.”

Wrapping up the singles was “Beaches”. This one is by far my favourite song on this album. An alternative rock vibe is really what caught my attention here and it has a really catchy chorus that is elevated with some amazing vocal harmonies. And who can forget the brilliant guitar solo that is a great tone setter for this track. I knew immediately that this one was going straight into my daily rotation and that it would be perfect for blasting in my headphones on my walks through campus during the fall months.  

Then the day came. Midnight on August 9^th I pressed play on This Is How Tomorrow Moves and I was very surprised with its musical direction. No doubt the result of the genius of Bea and Rick Rubin working in tandem, this album expands past Beabadoobee’s established lo-fi and indie pop sound to include more diverse sounds. 

This album goes to many places sonically. Songs like “One Time”, “Tie My Shoes”, and “The Man Who Left Too Soon” are reminiscent of Beabadoobee’s origins in bedroom pop while “California” and “Post” reflect Bea’s ventures into grunge and punk rock. But then “Real Man”, “A Cruel Affair”, and “Everything I Want” show lots of jazzy influences and are even quite jaunty at times! And finally, “Girl Song” and “This Is How It Went” are spectacular, tear-jerking ballads that could give Lennon-McCartney a run for their money. 

But it’s not only how this album sounds that shocked me, but also its themes and tonal directions. By tackling some quite mature subject matter like institutional sexism on “Girl Song” as well as being very open about the ills of fame and touring on “Coming Home”, I think that This Is How Tomorrow Moves is Beabadoobee’s wisest album. To me, a common theme across this album is a way of Beabadoobee saying that life is gonna be shit sometimes, but in the end, everything will be fine, you just have to be optimistic, be true to yourself, and fight for what you love.     
This Is How Tomorrow Moves proves to me again that Beabadoobee is a one-of-a-kind artist and firmly solidifies Bea among my favourite artists of all time. If you have not yet checked this one out, you will be in for an awesome listen! – (also the physical releases are super neat with some really cool coloured discs, so if you like the album I’d say it’s a must have on vinyl).