REVIEW: Beabadoobee - Pylon
There is something familiar about the fuzz and distortion running through BEABADOOBEE’s Pylon. Her fourth studio album finds her leaning back into the guitar-heavy indie rock that first established her identity, though this time, those influences feel far more refined. In a social media landscape obsessed with curated ‘whimsy’ and ‘chic’, this shift from bubblegum indie-pop into a rougher, grunge-soaked sound feels particularly refreshing.
Gen Z’s fixation on nostalgia has brought the 90s back into focus, alongside a growing fascination with the optimism of the 2010s. Pylon, however, gives these familiar influences a new context. With TITLE FIGHT’s Shane Moran co-writing eight of these tracks, alongside features from Hayley Williams, Brendan Yates, Chino Moreno, Matty Healy and George Daniel, the record takes these iconic sounds of the past and gives them a place in 2026.
Pylon opens in a haze of soft guitar and feedback, slowly building into a crescendo that feels lifted from the climax of a coming-of-age film. Drenched in reverb, it has the intimacy of opening a sticker-covered diary, immediately setting up the album’s fixation with memory and nostalgia.
Meanwhile, Sun Has Set sharpens exactly that into something much more angsty, drawing heavily from the sound of Laus’ past EPs with a distinctly 2000s emo-pop edge. There is even something vaguely Pete Wentz-ish about its lyricism, particularly in the way it turns this deep-rooted frustration over relationships into something punchy that sticks with the listener.
From Estranged through to Memories, the songs bleed naturally into one another, held together by ridiculously catchy basslines and dreamy grunge-pop. The whole stretch feels like the last few days of summer melting into autumn, warm and slightly wistful without ever losing its sense of fun. Beneath that haziness, the lyrics become increasingly interested in human connection and the vulnerability of wanting to be known and understood. There’s a distinctly 90s quality to these songs, but their emotional core keeps them from feeling like simple nostalgia.
Nothing To Prove features Hayley Williams on backing vocals, a surprisingly restrained appearance from such a powerhouse presence. Laus sings, “’cause I’ve got nothing to prove to you” just before the chorus gives way to Williams’ wordless “la la la”, making her contribution feel like an affirmation of the song’s sentiment. Rather than turning the feature into a headline, Laus seems more interested in paying homage to the artists who shaped her, allowing their influence to sit naturally within the record.
That becomes more apparent on Powerlines, where Brendan Yates takes a full verse and brings his own voice into the song. Considering TURNSTILE's own shift towards a more melodic, pop-influenced sound, hearing their vocalist appear on a BEABADOOBEE record feels like a neat collision of scenes. His contribution adds a sharper edge without overwhelming Laus’ songwriting, making the collaboration feel entirely reciprocal. Where Williams’ appearance feels like a clear homage, Yates’ contribution carries a sense of mutual respect between two artists meeting somewhere in the middle.
Spark strips things back to little more than Laus and a guitar, with orchestral sections gradually appearing around her. Lullaby-esque and delicate, the song slowly gathers itself, like piecing together fragments of a dream after waking. That softness makes Despite That feel all the more jarring. Distortion and reverb gradually creep into the production, surrounding her gentle vocals with something much harsher. There is a strange comfort in the song’s unease, capturing the fear and relief that comes with accepting that some things in life simply cannot be changed.
The album’s final track Satellite perhaps comes closest to encapsulating the album’s central sentiment. “I wonder if you think of me, like the way you used to” sits at the heart of a song soaked in nostalgia, before its screeching chorus blows the track wide open. It feels like Laus folding every version of herself into one song, pulling from the different sounds and eras she has explored throughout her career. By the final minutes, the reverb and distortion return in a huge, hazy swell, mirroring the opening of Pylon and bringing the record back to the same place it began. The album beginning and ending in a similar soundscape feels like a reflection of how deeply it draws from Laus’ roots. It circles back to the lo-fi intimacy of the blue-haired teenager recording in her bedroom, even after exploring so many sounds and eras.
Pylon is ultimately a record about looking backwards and understanding how those influences continue to shape BEABADOOBEE’s music. The features throughout the EP bring some of those influences directly into it, from Hayley Williams’ understated backing vocals to Brendan Yates taking a full verse. By the time Satellite returns to the hazy guitars of Pylon, the album has come full circle. It ends in the same place it began, with the sound of the teenager who started making these songs still lingering underneath everything that came after.
Score: 9/10
Pylon will be released on 18th September 2026 via Dirty Hit and Interscope Records.
Words: Adrian Chapman
Photos: Erika Kamano
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