Music review: Beabadoobee’s third album, ‘This Is How Tomorrow Moves’, serves up great pop music

Beabadoobee, whose real name is Beatrice Christie Loss, worked with Rubin for the 14-track aural exploration at his famed Shangri-La studio in Malibu — a far cry from the London bedroom where she began her career. The album features themes of self-acceptance and personal growth. While the songwriting is smart, the delivery feels a little detached and unsettled. Often, her voice sounds too weak compared to the sounds around her.

In track order, we’ll quickly move on from the opener, “Take a Bite,” which so clearly sounds like Incubus’s “Drive” in both song structure and musical phrasing that it can’t be considered simply a reference.

The good stuff starts with “One Time”, “Tie My Shoes” and “Girl Song”. Here, Beabadoobee has hit her sweet spot. “One Time” is a mid-paced track in which the songwriter throws a bit of shade and judgment about a girlfriend who has shown it off a bit too much. She sings louder here, and it sounds more serious in emotion than the previous track mired in a wall of guitar.

“Girl Song” could be brushed aside as a low-level soft piano ballad, but it deserves a deeper listen. It’s slow, it’s introspective and it’s guaranteed to drop a tear or two when Beabadoobee sings at the end of the chorus, “And there’s something I can’t say in a normal way,” which leads to the chorus: “A day like no other, and just another bad day.”

This is an okay album with some great songs and some filler. Ultimately, Beabadoobee remains a respectable musical force.

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