Earlier this year if you had asked me “Evie, would you go into an unmarked van if they promised a new Phoebe Bridgers album?” I would have replied “don’t tease me” and, obviously, “yes”. Phoebe (my close and personal friend for whom I forgo the last name formality), has been the soundtrack to my coming of age. I figured out who I am through a lot of floor time, only standing up to flip the disk of my Punisher vinyl. To say I was bouncing off the walls with joy following the announcement of her upcoming third album Lost Weekend, would be a gross understatement. When I found out about the Planetarium Listening Experience I genuinely combusted. Witnesses can verify: one second, I was there, and the next I was a pile of ash. Thankfully, I re-materialised and miraculously came into possession of two tickets (shout out Lachie, I owe you my firstborn). 

The Lost Weekend Planetarium Experience is the kind of perfectly on brand album release/marketing strategy I wish artists took a chance on more often. Phoebe has already established herself as the King of Space–enter my favourite song off Punisher: "Chinese Satellite", as well as the heartbreaking "Moon Song". As such, the Planetarium makes complete sense as a venue to immerse in her soundscape. A quick Google search has informed me that this idea comes off the back of rock giants like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, who used domes and planetariums to host laser shows and immersive album visualisers since time immemorial (the 60s). What made Phoebe’s experience unique, especially in today’s day and age with a predominantly Gen Z fanbase like hers, was that it was strictly phone-free. Upon arrival, Noah—my planetarium partner—and I were informed we would have to put our phones on silent and then into locked bags provided by Yondr. 

Phoebe’s no-phone-rule has sparked some controversy online. Like the Planetarium venue, it’s extremely on-brand for Phoebe, who has always prioritised emotional connection in her music and performances over easy surface level consumption  The locked phone bag really enabled an out of sight out of mind barrier, and I found it liberating to not even consider extricating myself from the immersive visuals to take a quick aesthetic photo for my next Insta dump. However, one valid concern is that not being able to access devices may pose a risk for fans with disabilities or other accessibility needs, e.g. glucose or heart monitoring. Fortunately, before entering the venue we were informed that exceptions can be made in cases like these. Regardless, the added effort of having to explain oneself and ask for permission to use technology necessary for survival is worth consideration in these discussions. I am mainly mentioning this in case the no-phone-rule was going prevent you from attending the Lost Weekend tour WHEN (not if, it has to be when) Phoebe announces an Australian leg, rest assured you do not need to fret. 

Before the music began, I had to give Noah a quick rundown of what Phoebe has been up to in the 6 years post Punisher, and I will give it to you now as well. In 2022, her two-year relationship with rumoured fiancé Paul Mescal ended, and she began dating long-term friend and comedian Bo Burnham. Sadly, in 2023, her dad passed away. Phoebe had a complicated relationship with him, tragically exemplified in her hit "Kyoto": “I want to kill you if you don’t beat me to it”. When I saw her live in 2023, she opened "Kyoto" by imploring her audience to “hug your shitty dad”. Devastating. Phoebe has also collaborated with her band boygenius, in which she third wheels two of her best friends, Lucy Dacus and Julian Baker (who are very much in love), who are both also background vocalists on Punisher. Going into Lost Weekend, all I knew (other than every lyric to the single Lost Boys) was that the album title is a reference to what John Lennon called his 18-month split from Yoko Ono. Reviewers have suggested that for Phoebe her “lost weekend” has been her time away from public scrutiny following the success of boygenius’s The Record, giving her time to process the events of the past 6 years. 

After locking away our phones we were directed into the Planetarium by some lovely staff all wearing face gems and glitter. “The seats recline very easily!!” they warned, and they were not lying. Once horizontal, the steady hum of excited bisexuals quieted when the screen went from pink to red and then red to black.

Track 1: The Outside. 

The dome was filled with a disembodied voice, layered with shimmering synth and electronic resonance. It was different from anything I had heard from Phoebe but made perfect sense as a prelude to the extra-terrestrial journey that is the rest of the album. 

Track 2: Lost Boys. 

Easily the most mainstream song on the album. It’s been out for a while, so I will save my rambling for songs we haven’t heard much of. 

Track 3: Kill Me. 

Opens softly and slowly. “This I gonna kill me- wait” the track steadily builds until, wait, the guitar and drums crash in and surge like a rolling thunderstorm. In the Planetarium, this crescendo took the form of an evening sky filled with stunning lightning. The song is about growing up and being certain of nothing but the ending, an all too familiar existentialist dread. Phoebe’s sound is crystal clear here, the eerie epicenes and melancholy that many artists have tried and failed to emulate is achieved seamlessly through the blending of soft guitar and string arrangements. 

In this song we also meet a character called Bobby who Phoebe sings “taught me that I know nothing.” My reading is that Bobby refers to her partner, Bo (Robert) Burnham. Bobby’s character reappears throughout the album, most notably on the eponymous fifth track.

Track 4: The Governor’s Waltz. 

The first two verses of the song appear to be addressed to a partner who wanted the singer more than she wanted him. The opening line calls to the “Governors Ball” most likely referencing Phoebe’s set at the 2021 Gov Ball Festival in New York City, situating the song within her relationship with ex-fiancé, Paul Mescal. On the surface, the lyrics are sweet, complimented by twinkling guitar “let’s see how long we can go without touching, why don’t you sing me to sleep.” However, the relationship sounds imbalanced “you deserved better, you wanted me.” She ends each verse with “do it for me” imploring her lover to leave even though she knows he doesn’t want to. The final verse of this song may or may not throw some shade at Gracie Abrams: “she can pretend to be me.” Gracie is dating Paul Mescal but continues to publicly gush about Phoebe—just this June calling her the “writer of our generation”. Fans have noticed that Gracie and Phoebe have the same bedsheets (a weird thing for us to know but whatever) and for this reason have pointed to the lyric “she took my place in my bed on that stage” as a pretty direct Gracie call out in the song. After the planetarium experience, I asked the girl next to me if she had noticed the potential Gracie Abrams shade and she proposed an alternative reading, that Phoebe was actually singing about her past self and imposter syndrome “being myself wasn’t easy” once again asking, “do it for me.”

Whatever the meaning, this is a good song. 

Track 5: Bobby. 

“Bobby this could be the end of wanting,” a classic Phoebe Bridgers love song, perfect for fans of the iconic "ICU" (track 9 on Punisher). “I exist only if you’re watching.” Phoebe screams several times in this one, “ooohaAAahhHHHHh”, conveying the depth of her emotion. Anecdotal lyrics like “you followed me home like you’d done it before, and you had to bend over to get through the door,” perhaps literally refers to all 6 foot 5 inches of Bo Burnham’s height.

Track 6: Lost Weekend. 

A gentler song following the screams and drums of Bobby: “I turned down the music to parallel park.” REAL. Gut wrenching and beautiful: “I loved you and you couldn’t forgive me for that.” The song continues to explore a feeling of not knowing what’s going on and the uncertainty of life. 

“Lying to me with your hand on your heart, it’s all gonna be alright and we’ll make it through.” I can’t decide if this lyric is optimistic or devastating, but maybe that’s the whole point. After the final lyric the song changes as the instrumental builds; it feels paranormal and spooky, but in a nostalgic and comforting way. It reminds me of A24’s I Saw The TV Glow, the perfect movie for fans of Phoebe’s eerie vibe (not to mention the soundtrack includes Phoebe featured on Sloppy Jane’s "Claw Machine").

Track 7: Haunted. 

This one was another one of my favourites. It feels like a fun road trip with friends. Us Phoebe fans love to fixate on Phoebe’s little “woo” in "Kyoto", and I think in this song we have found that woo’s more euphoric sister. I loved it. I could be wrong, but I think I heard The Boys on this one (boygenius’s Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker). "Haunted" reminds me of "Graceland Too" and "Garden Song", both in their optimism and more bluegrass Americana sound. I loved these lyrics: 

You can go or you can stay 

I'm gonna put myself together either way

I have no secrets, only feelings

And I know those go away

There is a difference between lying and deciding what not to say

Track 8: Panorama. 

A slow start, piano. The Planetarium visuals for this one were beautiful footage from a satellite or space station. “If you’re drinking, then I’m drinking.” On the whole this song felt more like an interlude and didn’t add very much, perhaps the weakest point in the album in my opinion. That being said it’s really hard for me to criticise anything Phoebe does because I would prefer to listen to even my least favourite songs of hers compared to pretty much anything else.

Track 9: Still Standing. 

This one was upsetting (in a good way)—opening with just vocals and very stripped back Phoebe-ish-ambient-synth, triumphantly joined by acoustic guitar at the lyric “but I’m still standing. Once again, if I wrote every lyric that cut me to the bone I would just copy and paste the whole song. But this one in particular absolutely floored me: “I can’t imagine you dead, but you are every day, thank you for everything.” This most likely refers to the passing of Phoebe’s dad, her grief and disbelief that he is gone. 

Track 10: Liberty Tree.

At this point in the album, I picked up on a prominent recurring theme of fearing death. “Don’t die Bobby, before I die, it feels so good to have you in my life.” Listening in the Planetarium felt a bit disorienting because there was no indication where one song ended the other began. The confusion was exacerbated in the album’s second half as many songs, including this one, would often change pace or sound in the final third.

Track 11: Never Going Back 

THIS ONE IS INSANE! HELLO???? THE VOICEMAIL FROM HER DAD???!!! I ACTUALLY TEARED UP. NO WORDS. 

Track 12: Other Plans. 

What the freaking heck. Did you kiss the brick before you threw it? To make matters worse, I have seen two devastating interpretations of this song. Firstly, I saw someone suggest in the comments of the Genius Lyrics page for this song that it might be written from the perspective of a parent, likely Phoebe’s dad. “I remember the day I created the world, I got blood on my favourite shirt” and “you were shaking like a final girl.”  This reading would make sense following the voicemail included in the previous song. Alternatively, when I first listened to the song, I thought it might be about an abortion, given the aforementioned lyrics alongside “I should not have driven home.” Part of the beauty of Phoebe’s lyricism is her ability to evoke universal emotions with cuttingly specific prose, this enables her listeners to relate to her songs in different ways, finding their own meaning. Ultimately, "Other Plans" describes grieving a relationship that did not go as imagined despite good intentions, whichever form of relationship that may be.  

I was gonna show you colours you had never seen

And leave you alone

But our love had other plans for us

Track 13: Lost Parade. 

Instrumental interlude! Fun! 

Track 14: I Can’t Wait. 

ANOTHER FAVOURITE!! Made me think of my best friends and my sister. 

Baby, baby, if you leave me
Can you take me with you?
I can sit in the backseat

Cameron Winter of Geese joins her for the chorus “Hyde Jekyll Hyde, you and I forever” another quintessentially Bridgers morbid love song. Cameron and Phoebe sound beautiful together, their unique voices complimenting each other against a beautiful backdrop of strings and electric synth. Rolling Stone proposed that Phoebe’s choice to reference the split personalities Jekyll and Hyde “finally together” alludes to her finally viewing herself as “whole for the very first time.” A very nice sentiment.

Track 15: As Above. 

In the Planetarium this one brought back the lightning imagery from "Kill Me", and was similarly epic. The song crescendos as Phoebe virtually screams “you don’t have to believe in magic, leave it to me and I’ll make it happen.” The song straddles two themes: love and grief, perhaps the above and below she sings of, two sides of the same coin. Phoebe’s vocals are phenomenal on this track, I have never heard anyone else come close to the way in which she imbues her voice with so much raw emotion. 

Track 16: Lost Weekend (reprise). 

“I am my old man’s oldest son, I fought the wall and the wall won.” The references to her dad were absolutely guy wrenching in this one. 

He's not coming back.

But I still live by thе things he taught me

Like how to forgive when they're not sorry

And the government isn't trying to kill you

They just don't care if they kill you

This track was the perfect closer for a perfect album. The final line: “You love me, and I won’t ever let you forget, not yet” rings true. Phoebe will not let me forget that she is my all-time favourite musician. 

Overall, for me at least, this is another one for the ages.  Phoebe has done it again and I think she should be insanely proud. An album about fear, love, and grief, that cuts no losses when it comes to musicianship or lyricism. The Lost Weekend Planetarium Experience was a spiritual encounter for me, one I will never forget!