Beabadoobee – Beatopia
Nostalgic in sound and sensibilities, Beadaboobee’s second album is an adventurous journey through noughties soundscapes
Welcome to Beatopia, Bea Laus’ (aka Beadaboobee) fictional, childhood wonderland once forgotten, now newfound and repurposed. After a personally damaging public embarrassment led Laus to shut its gates as a child, album two provides artistic license to reinvent the magical land as a boundary-free space for musical experimentation.
Laus bravely embraces her imagined world through not only sonic exploration but its successful discovery too. She soars through a variety of tones, including lullaby-like ballads, jittery jazz-infused pop, moving midwest emo and, of course, prickly post-rock. With the album credits as wide-spanning as Matty Healy (The 1975), Jack Steadman (Bombay Bicycle Club), Georgia Ellery (Jockstrap) and even some of Laus' best friends, it’s easy to understand the expansive array of soundscapes that appear here.
While Beatopia is audibly nostalgic, carrying a polished, defined early-noughties retro alt-pop/rock, Laus’ softly-sung lyrics are firmly placed in the now. Vulnerable and open, Laus’ heart is worn firmly on her oversized cardigan sleeve as she embarks on a courageous journey towards self-acceptance, shedding the fear to be herself, and sharing the real Bea Laus with the world.
Listen to: 10:36, See You Soon, Talk