The loud guitar at the start of “Switchblade” shatters any expectation of a quiet acoustic melody. Within seconds, heavy drums kick in, pushing the track toward a dense, aggressive sound. With her new album, “Pylon,” released Sept. 18, 26-year-old Filipino-British singer-songwriter Beabadoobee leaves bedroom pop behind and dives into alternative rock.
“Pylon” marks a major change for an artist known for quiet, cozy tracks like “Glue Song” and “Coffee.” Her earlier music felt gentle and soft, almost as if it described a childhood full of wonder. This album is the opposite: loud, direct and full of energy. Beabadoobee swaps her acoustic guitar for heavier riffs and percussion reminiscent of 1990s rock.
“Her earlier albums were a lot more focused on love,” said junior Ellie Leo. “They were much calmer and quieter.”
This heavier sound changes how her music makes an impact. In the past, her soft voice did most of the emotional work, but on “Pylon,” the instruments do more of the heavy lifting. Songs like “Sun Has Set” use dynamic contrasts effectively. The chorus’ volume makes her vocals sound more desperate and raw. Rather than burying her feelings, the loud instrumentation intensifies the emotion in her lyrics.
“[This album conveys] a little more security in herself and a little more angst, rather than being sad and insecure like the old ones,” Leo said. “It’s more about her exploring her own identity and her own emotional struggles, especially when she’s going on tour and being isolated from other people.”
The central theme of “Pylon” is growing up and finding your own voice. Throughout the album, Beabadoobee pushes against the pressure to remain the cute, whimsical artist she was as a teenager. On “Nothing to Prove,” featuring Hayley Williams, the lyrics explore reclaiming creative control and finding validation within herself. The album tells a story of growing under pressure and public scrutiny, positioning her new rock style as the next step in that process.
Looking at the music theory behind “Pylon,” it is easy to hear how she makes the heavier sound work. On her previous albums, Beabadoobee relied on a thinner texture, often built around her voice and a guitar. On “Pylon,” she switches to a denser texture and a loud-quiet-loud structure. When the chorus hits, multiple layers erupt at once, giving the album an unpredictable, chaotic energy.
The harmony also shifts toward a darker, tenser palette. The guitar parts rely mainly on power chords, which use the root and fifth while leaving out the third. Without the third, these chords create a hollow yet powerful sound that can feel massive and aggressive.
To keep the songs feeling uneasy, Beabadoobee combines power chords with modal mixture, borrowing chords from a minor key within a song written in a major key, creating sudden emotional shifts.
However, the album has a few weak spots. While her new style works, the songs begin to sound similar. They often follow the same pattern: a gentle intro that suddenly shifts into loud, gritty, distorted rock. At times, the heavy guitars overwhelm Beabadoobee’s voice, making her carefully chosen lyrics difficult to hear.
“The other songs that are [softer] are better,” Leo said. “The parts that are softer tend to have better lyrics”.
Despite these weaknesses, “Pylon” is a strong step forward. It captures the anxiety and chaos of becoming an adult and shows that Beabadoobee is done hiding behind a calm acoustic guitar. The album allows her to find her voice and build her own rock identity, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars.
