Phoebe Bridgers Laments Our Phone-Addled Culture on “Lost Boys”
It is easy to misread Phoebe Bridgers’s first solo single in years as a mere retread of the sonic landscape that made her 2020 album Punisher so resonant. Her newest track, “Lost Boys,” arrives with the familiar hallmarks fans have come to expect: slinky harmonic modulation, nonchalant yet deeply emotive vocals, and a penchant for the specific, anecdotal details that make her songwriting sparkle.
“Lost Boys” functions as a cinematic collage, flickering through an unsteady trip to Berlin, an intimate moment with a lover, and a chorus that references Peter Pan’s crew of eternal youth. The track is bolstered by warm, expansive production featuring contributions from Jack Antonoff, Alex G, and vocal composer Caroline Shaw.
The Digital Dilemma
The song’s emotional core emerges in the pre-chorus, where Bridgers sings, “This machine is killing me.” It is a line that feels purposefully vague yet infinitely interpretable, reflecting the myriad “machines” that dominate our daily lives. Given that Bridgers has implemented a strict no-phone policy for her upcoming arena tour, the lyric serves as a potent critique of our phone-addled culture.
Bridgers has largely retreated from the public eye in the years since the massive success of her Phoebe Bridgers-led project, boygenius, alongside Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. Once a frequent and candid presence on social media, Bridgers has since deactivated her accounts, likely weary of the intense parasocial scrutiny that accompanied her rise to ubiquity. By prohibiting fans from filming her shows, she is effectively attempting to pull herself out of the digital ring.
A Modern Fairy Tale
The internet has become a modern-day Peter Pan zone, where the “lost boys” sustain themselves on a diet of dopamine and vitriol. With this new album and tour, Bridgers seems to be attempting to dismantle that fairy tale, seeking to vanquish the “machine” that has defined her recent years. Whether her artistry is powerful enough to counteract these pervasive digital forces remains to be seen, but the attempt itself is a compelling evolution in her career.
