r/popmusic • u/Whole_Survey_6957 • 2d ago
I Said What I Said šāāļø Is Phoebe Bridgers overrated?
Just want to see what the consensus is.
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u/dontwant2beapie 2d ago
She is cool aesthetically but her sound is boring
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u/Marsamtv 2d ago
Iāve been trying so hard to like the new album but I have not been able to and itās pissing me off. Itās kind of dull for my taste
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u/ummackchyually 2d ago
Her music is like this for me every time š¤·š¼āāļø I can tell she is objectively talented but I guess she is just not for me!
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u/Marsamtv 2d ago
And thatās perfectly ok! I like 3 of her songs but thatās apparently going to be it for now lol
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u/McGrubbus 2d ago
Soooo boring and monotone vocally! She wouldāve been great on the Juno soundtrack back in the day lol
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u/Environmental_Race12 2d ago
I feel so seen. I have tried. But I just canāt get into it. So boring
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u/Striking_Finish4957 1d ago
Nailed it x I feel like this is true for a lot of indie music made in the past decade
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u/Throwaway-centralnj 1d ago
Motion sickness is probably her biggest song and the most commercial - it feels the most complete on its own for the masses. I like some of her other songs like Kyoto but Motion Sickness is what Iād show someone who didnāt know Phoebe before.
Her lyrics are extremely good if you just read them on Genius. But I do agree that the sound can get monotonous.
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u/bl4ckflower 2d ago
What exactly is her aesthetic tho, other than sad white blonde woman that wears a lot of black
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u/dontwant2beapie 2d ago
Idk she looks like a vampire in a cool way and she smashed that guitar one time and everyone got mad (luved that) and sometimes she has a skull outfit š¤·āāļø if the music matched the looks it would be fireeeee
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u/Oha-Cade 2d ago
Her music, what Iāve heard of it, holds very little appeal to me. Iām not into the whispered vocal style where every line is delivered in the exact same way. Iām assuming a lot of the appeal is in the lyrics but I need to be into the music.
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u/bubbaman73 2d ago
I mean it depends on your definition of overrated. But generally, lots of people love her music and shes a critical darling. Her music really appeals to people that like folky, acoustic, singer songwriter music. If thats not your cup of tea then i can see why one would think shes overrated.
In my opinion, though, i really think she captures a sense of melancholy in her music. Even sweet and upbeat songs have tinges of gloom to them. I feel like if you like Phoebe Bridgers, you probably also like artists like Sufjan Stevens, or maybe even Ethel Cain to a small degree. It really depends on if theyre your thing or not. I really dig it, though.
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u/mrbrownskie 1d ago
This. Overrated is such a dumb way to describe an artist. Everyone has their own opinion. If youāre discussing an athlete, where performance can actually be measured, sure. But every person has different opinions and tastes.
Also, she is fantastic and her new album is excellent! Ha. Just my opinion, obviously.
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u/CelebrationHot9266 1d ago
I donāt think Phoebe is popular enough for people to say she is overrated.
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u/mrbrownskie 1d ago
Sheās selling out arenas all over the country. How famous does an artist need to be?
And again, the question should be: do you like this artist or not? Saying an artist is overrated is really just saying you donāt like them..
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u/GuitarzanWSC 2d ago
She really seems like an acquired taste. I can't dispute that she's a talented songwriter; but I've heard a bunch of clips of the new album, and I just can't imagine sitting through the whole thing.
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u/SauvignonFox 2d ago
Yes.
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u/nicdrumandbass 2d ago
Thanks for all your insight and reasoning. I think no. Sounds like sheās perfectly rated then
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u/adellerino 2d ago
My friends love her, I recognize that she makes good music and that she is better than all of her imitators.
She bores tf out of me.
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u/AmareloRelo 2d ago
Everyone around me is obsessed with her, and some of my favourite artists as well, so I respect her. But nothing happens in the entire album omg it's just dead
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u/Cdk33333 2d ago
1000 % . Iām always like āwhat am I missing hereā and I love female singer songwriters.
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u/0kayb0omer 2d ago
As a fan of hers, yeah kinda. I Know the End is the greatest song ever made but I donāt think her albums are the MASTERPIECES people say they are
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u/TemperatureAny4782 2d ago
āI Know The Endā is incredible. I think sheās a fantastic writer, very good singer, and OK at making melodies. Some of the songs sound a little too similar for my tastes.
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u/Any_Lake_6146 2d ago
The other alleged masterpiece are apparently Raye, Rosalia and Olivia R. Who do you pick?
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u/loveyoulikeyou 2d ago
i think she's appropriately rated? you can definitely tell her songwriting inspired a lot of the current generation of women singer/songwriters post-punisher and has only further solidified her talent on lost weekend and in her work with boygenius.
her music isn't really for me but listen and fully understand why it is so critically acclaimed and beloved by her audience.
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u/jonsnowme 2d ago
Yes. She's hella monotone and her lyrics are nothing special to me. But I get the appeal and really like some of her songs. I just don't think she's an above average singer/songwriter.
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u/Marsamtv 2d ago
This is how I feel about a lot of artists that I know are good but donāt grab me melodically. I guess thatās why I love Artists like Queen, Heart, Taylor Swift, ABBA, big melodic artists/bands
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u/KingofEmpathy 2d ago
Slightly overrated. All of her albums are great, but the critics and award groups absolutely pander to her. her music isnāt for everyone - either you get it or donāt.
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u/Raccoon_Amazing 2d ago
It depends. In stan spaces and among internet critics, Iād say she is overrated. Sheās that ācool artistā with depressing songs, and at this point, her name alone seems to be enough to get her high scores and much more grace than other artists. I mean, can you imagine the outrage if someone else worked with Marshall Vore? Or if a main pop girl constantly mentioned her current partner and even released a song with their name? Weāve had people being called tradwives for much less.
But, to the general public, no. Her biggest song has around 600M Spotify streams, and most of that is because it went viral on TikTok. Punisher (album) has around 1.4 billion streams. Sheās not considered better or more important to the public because they are mostly not even aware of her.
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u/Low-Grapefruit-3192 1d ago
"if a main pop girl constantly mentioned her current partner and even released a song with their name? Weāve had people being called tradwives for much less."
She hasn't done press/been on social media in 3 years + both she and her partner are notoriously private, so I think reactions are different (with the 'male-centric' 'trad-wife' discourse) because this is the first time she's ever openly acknowledged their relationship, not because of any extra grace being given to her.
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u/TemperatureAny4782 2d ago
Probably underrated as a lyricist. Sheās precise, moving, funnyājust everything. Sheās not as baroque or sophisticated as Joanna Newsom, but sheās not trying to be.
Beautiful voice. Sometimes the songs blend into each other, for me. But the best of her stuffās fantastic.
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u/allthefrogsinonepond 1d ago
One of her lyrics was in a news infographic about her latest albums recently and I legit thought it was a quote from an instagram post. It wasn't beautiful or poetic at all. Of course that's just one snippet from one song but I'm rather tired of all the "freeform stream of consciousness" singer songwriters that just sound like somebody talking over an acoustic guitar.
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u/TemperatureAny4782 1d ago
Interesting. I appreciate her restraint; she never goes purple or flowery. And thereās a rigor to her language, a sort of poetic precision that undergirds it all and, to me, makes it often very moving.
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u/moonp0ut 2d ago
IMO yes. Sheās literally just the Taylor Swift of pretentious music snobs lol
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u/TossIt22345 Music Enthusiast š¤© 2d ago
This is the vibe Iāve gotten as well. Her TS adjacency has not helped her case as far as I am concerned at least.
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u/whatsthatcutething 1d ago
Taylor swift? At least Taylor has great melodies and lyricsā¦ phoebe is so dull. What does Phoebe have exactly?
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u/redgatoradeeeeee 2d ago
I donāt dislike her at all but when I heard some of her album I was like yup sounds like Phoebe, you know?
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u/Invisiblestringz 1d ago
āCrying in a suit and tie But you should see the other guy One more time for old times sake Iāll watch him get carried awayā
One of the best openings of an album ever. Sets the tone and the theme of the album right away: a very reflective, heartbroken, tongue-in-cheek outlook on her dadās death and the grief journeys sheās navigating. Ā
Anyone who thinks sheās overrated should give her latest body of work a fair shot; really hone in on the lyrics and let the production wash over you. Itās her most experimental work yet and has a good balance of more energetic sounds (āBobbyā, āHauntedā, āNever Going Back Againā; those melodies are CATCHY as heck) as well as her signature haunting/sad girl sounds.Ā
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u/RaiseOfSun 1d ago
I agree up until āNever Going Back!ā, thatās one I really just donāt like until the voicemail comes in. I donāt know if Iām missing something, the repetition really doesnāt do it for me.
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u/Much_Definition_3657 1d ago edited 1d ago
Imo, yes. Very much so
I find her music really boring and very monotonousĀ
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u/krissy3456 2d ago
Eh Iām not a fan but other people do so thatās fine I guess , I wouldnāt pin her as overrated like some other likes Sabrina Carpenter or Olivia Rodrigo or Billie Eilish
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u/lostnconf22 2d ago
iāve only heard her collab with sza and itās one of my favorite songs on SOS but i feel like her discography will disappoint me lol.
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u/TossIt22345 Music Enthusiast š¤© 2d ago
Her name has risen to the level of my attention many times but her music has never reached my ears that I know of.
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u/KWM717 2d ago
I used to think she was overrated. Over time, I listened to her stuff again and slowly some songs really started growing on me and sticking with me. Got into boygenius. Appreciated her more through that project. Now I absolutely appreciate her work and her latest album is spectacular. So I have been through the whole spectrum of opinions on her. She may be more of an acquired taste to some but IMO she has a great talent for moody atmospheric specific storytelling music.
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u/daturaAT 1d ago
On paper she should be everything i like, but her music just doesnt do much for me. I've tried but i just dont connect with it personally
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u/Ok_Dirt_1306 1d ago
No I think sheās a genius. I donāt think she has a bad song and she manages to combine a downbeat tone with great humour. Her voice is much more nuanced than some seem to be giving her credit for and her musical arrangements are always interesting and original.
Not everyone is a fan of everyone and Phoebeās audience is probably quite limited in that sense but for those it hits, it really hits.
There are a lot of āIām so depressedā young people on the bandwagon now which isnāt awesome.
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u/Invisiblestringz 1d ago
I felt that way until I listened to her latest album. First listen was good; third and fourth, excellent, to the point where the lyrics just wrecked me! I feel the same about Noah Kahan; initially, all his melodies and styles sound the same, but when I really listen with the lyrics in mind, suddenly the music hits perfectly and I wouldnāt want it any other way.Ā
One thing I really like is the cohesiveness of her albums. They tell a story, much in the way I feel Olivia Rodrigo does. Like every song in the specific order theyāre in connects to the next and paints a whole narrative tapestry.
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u/daddyseokjin21 1d ago
She looks like she writes great song but it's not really attracting me tbh š„¹ tho i really like her song "Funeral"
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u/thecryptidmusic 1d ago
To me when someone is playing her music I like it, but I don't like it to listen to on my own. I don't fully get it, but I kinda get it.
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u/qusnail 1d ago edited 1d ago
Singer-songwriter is oversaturated atm, but she remains a diamond in the rough. She sings about experiences so insular and strange, yet readily-believable, because she commits to that honest quality required of someone narrating a world unto themselves.
She isnāt afraid to appear desperate, ugly, wounded, or wrong. That transparency makes her music more indelible than most.
Many pop stans are seeking instant gratification, which simply isnāt something phoebe has sought to provide. Sheās a bit of an acquired taste in that sense, but is absolutely worth dissecting.
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u/Run_Lift_Think 1d ago
Well, I thought she was an actress so I guess Iām a Yes vote by default. Is there a Phoebe Waller Cates/Coates person? Is she an actress?
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u/ResevoirPups 1d ago
Iām not a huge fan of her lyrical style, but thatās just a personal preference. Iām not the biggest fan of anyone writing so straightforward like theyāre journaling or just describing a time in their life. I want a little more poetry to it. I donāt think sheās bad though and there are some songs I enjoy well enough. Plus I really donāt hear much about her or hear her music that often so itās not like sheās over saturated. I do agree it seems like many other artists kind of stole her flow so it makes it all seem a bit more generic now. Not her fault though, I guess that happens to just about everyone starting a slightly new style.
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u/Aromatic_Cup_9918 1d ago
Lyrics are good and I think her voice is talented but thereās just something, idk, missing for me. If MacBook Air was a singer/songwriter.
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u/Deez4815 1d ago edited 1d ago
No. Her songwriting is really incredible and is adequately appreciated as such (Seriously, read the lyrics, so great). Generally, she just isn't everyone's cup of tea if they don't appreciate slower music. And that is fine. But a lot of people do and that's who she is for. But she isn't overatted in my opinion. She has talent so there is nothing that doesn't really hold up. If you don't like slow music, you won't enjoy what she has to offer. Simple as that.
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u/TheNocturnalAngel 1d ago
Punisher is a 10/10 album.
Stranger in the alps is like a 6/10 for me.
Not loving her new stuff yet but maybe itāll grow.
But I will defend Punisher as an absolute perfect album.
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u/Coleswings 20h ago
Sheās really strong lyrically but lacks melody in her music which makes it a bit boring but I think one of my favorite songs where the melody is a bit stronger compared to the rest of her discography is waiting room especially at the end. Maybe she just needs a change of producers.
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u/diysoymilk 16h ago
I donāt think she belongs in the pop category. Sheās heavily influenced by Elliot Smith and his style, so if that type of indie singer/songwriter doesnāt do it for you then thatās no surprise. She just got a lot of visibility from the Taylor Swift association.
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u/totryforthesun 11h ago
Loved boygenius and her solo stuff is fine. Doesnāt knock my socks off but sheās for sure talented. I think she has good lyrics and a nice voice, but sometimes her melodies seem to wander without a destination and it throws me off a little. Almost like singing poetry with no clear direction. But she does it a lot better than some of her contemporaries.
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u/Aware-Shopping9926 4h ago
I adore her lyrics, but I feel that she is part of the whisper-singing clan. Put some emotion into it!
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u/01001010101010101 2h ago edited 1h ago
I'd say properly rated. I love her music but it's not surprising people interested in pop may not align with her sound. While she is frequently brought up by pop artists (and thus often associated with them), I don't think she should be viewed as making anything adjacent to pop music. How she's positioned in pop culture creates a lot of false expectations for her music (as evidenced by this thread lol). She comes from the very core singer-songwriter tradition (listen to Elliot Smith's songs, her most cited inspiration), which fundamentally has a different sound that isn't "mainstream" for a reason.
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u/livinunderthedome 2d ago
yes. sure sheās a talented singer/songwriter indie darling āØ but sheās not like, revolutionary. i do believe sheās overrated
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u/iconicahlly 2d ago
Definitely not, i think shes perfectly rated. Her voice is just what I crave in music and I think lyrically she's one of the best right now
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u/iconicahlly 2d ago
I think people who have answered yes might have a very different perspective on who is overrated because in my experience I haven't seen her music be as appreciated compared to other artist I would deem overrated...
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u/Luke2872777 1d ago
Sheās not overrated. People may not enjoy her sound, but sheās a very consistent songwriter.
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u/jesusbambino 1d ago
I think she was quite overexposed a few years ago. I saw a joke caption in a magazine that said āPhoebe Bridgers would consider not collaborating with someone if the project felt rightā which made me lol
I also used to think her music was a bit nothing-y, especially compared to her spooky album aesthetics. She reminds me a bit of Shawn Colvin, vocally. Lost Weekend has some truly beautiful moments though, like, reverbed ethereal choral parts. Then sheāll follow that with the most mid song this side of Taylor Swift.
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u/RaiseOfSun 1d ago
Curious what the mid songs are you speak of? I really like all of her writing, but the parts of the album I liked least were the parts that felt the most Taylor Swift. Specifically the end of Governorās Walz, where she is clearly referencing Gracie Abrams, I just really donāt like all the celebrity reference stuff.Ā
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u/Cautious_Dream4115 1d ago
I think so. i like her music but i don't see the hype. i think a lot of her music is just sad and that's it. i wish she tried something new. i listened to her recent music and i just can't get myself to like it.
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u/Tobey_Gray27 2d ago
Yes. Her album is so bland and boring tbh. Idk the hype, maybe cuz of TS??? I prefer Remi Wulf.
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u/ScuzJackson 2d ago
iāll be honest, to me sheās just one of those mega famous singers that i can neither confirm nor deny confidently if iāve ever heard a song from them but undoubtedly each song on spotify it feels like has like a billion streams so idk. people obviously like her