After Phoebe Bridgers’ 2017 album Stranger in the Alps, many people wondered if there was anywhere left to go. After all, the critically acclaimed debut featured some of the finest singer-songwriter tracks in recent memory. In fact, John Mayer even tweeted out the song “Funeral”, claiming it marked the “arrival of a giant”. Where could she possibly go from there? The answer is actually quite simple; instead of expanding her lyrics to the world around her, Bridgers looked further into her own life. The result is an introspective masterpiece, and one of the best albums of 2020.

From opening instrumental “DVD Opener” to epic closer “I Know The End”, this album is packed full of reflections on life, touring, living in the city, and more. On Chinese Satellite, she describes her confused state of mind with the lines, “I’ve been running around in circles / Pretending to be myself / Why would somebody do this / When they could do something else?” This is a prime example of what makes Bridgers’ music so powerful. She includes poetic details to create imagery, but they only make the songs more emotionally accessible to listeners. Perhaps there’s another reason why this album has connected with so many: Because this record was recorded following a period of depression and released during the COVID pandemic, it connected with everyone forced to quarantine. Its lyrical introspection is only fitting for the times we live in.

Musically, listeners can expect a completely different sound than they’ve heard from Bridgers before. On “Kyoto” (maybe the biggest hit on the album), Bridgers ditches her acoustic guitar and uses indie rock to reflect on a recent trip to Japan. The song features electric guitar backed by energetic drums, and it’s the closest thing to a rock anthem that she has ever recorded. However, the track’s autoharp and mellotron also make it one of the most sonically experimental songs on the album. The traces of her alt-folk influences are still here (listeners can hear elements of Elliot Smith in some of the softer tracks), but this record covers ground that might surprise many longtime fans. Rock and folk are both represented here. Even references to country music can be found in “Graceland Too”, which name-checks both Elvis and Memphis.

Ultimately, this album should be on every list of essential listening for 2020, not only for fans of singer-songwriter music, but for anyone who has ever found difficulty in isolation. Bridgers has not only outdone her remarkable debut; she has also produced the album that so many listeners needed this year.