Maps of Music

Punisher (2020)

Where the lyrics of Punisher take you, and where it was really made.

The cover was first planned for England, but the photographer preferred the California desert, so the shoot moved to the Trona Pinnacles.

Key places

Recorded mostly at Sound City in Van Nuys (2020)

Recording site Sound City Studios — Most of Punisher was recorded at this Van Nuys studio over a year and a half. Producers Tony Berg and Ethan Gruska worked on the album there. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cover photo at the Trona Pinnacles (2020)

Album cover Trona Pinnacles — The album cover shows Bridgers at the Trona Pinnacles in the California desert. The shoot was first planned for England, but the photographer chose the California desert. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Punisher is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers
• Released June 18, 2020 by Dead Oceans
• Follow-up to her 2017 debut album Stranger in the Alps
• Indie rock, emo-folk, and indie folk, with indie pop and bluegrass elements on some songs
• The title track is an homage to Elliott Smith

Background

• Bridgers rose to prominence in indie rock in the late 2010s
• Stranger in the Alps was widely acclaimed by critics and peers
• In 2018 she co-founded Boygenius with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus
• She also formed Better Oblivion Community Center with Conor Oberst
• Inspirations included Joan Didion, the podcast My Favorite Murder, the novel The Last Policeman, and the death of her dog Max
• She began developing the album while touring for Stranger in the Alps

Recording

• Recorded over a year and a half at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles
• Producers Tony Berg and Ethan Gruska also worked on Stranger in the Alps
• Recorded sporadically from mid-2018 through late 2019
• The process was collaborative; liner notes credit multiple musicians, including Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, Christian Lee Hutson, Jim Keltner, Blake Mills, and Conor Oberst

Cover

• Photo of Bridgers at the Trona Pinnacles, taken by Swedish photographer Olof Grind
• The shoot was originally planned for England, but Grind preferred the look of the California desert
• Bridgers wears a skeleton suit in the cover photo

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Artist

Career

• Phoebe Lucille Bridgers (born August 17, 1994, Pasadena, California) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.
• Her indie folk music typically centers on acoustic guitar and electronic production, with melancholic lyrical themes.
• She has won four Grammy Awards from eleven nominations.
• Her debut solo album, Stranger in the Alps, was released in 2017 on Dead Oceans, followed by Punisher (2020) and Lost Weekend (2026).
• She is a member of the supergroup Boygenius, which released the EP Boygenius (2018) and the album The Record (2023).
• She was also a member of Better Oblivion Community Center with Conor Oberst, releasing a self-titled album in 2019.
• She has been a frequent featured collaborator, appearing with Taylor Swift, SZA, the National, Kid Cudi, and Lorde, among others.
• Her acting debut came in Primetime (2026); she also stars in I Saw the TV Glow (A24, 2024).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic score: 90 out of 100 from 31 reviews, indicating universal acclaim
• AnyDecentMusic?: 8.4/10
• Pitchfork's Sam Sodomsky gave the album its Best New Music tag
• Rolling Stone's Jonathan Bernstein praised the eleven songs, which cover broken faith, self-destructive love, and tenuous recovery
• NME gave the album a perfect score
• Consequence of Sound's David Sackllah gave the album an A−
• AllMusic's Fred Thomas called the songwriting masterful
• The Independent's Alexandra Pollard noted that the album reflects Bridgers's growth as an artist
• New York Times critic Lindsay Zoladz named it a critic's pick
• Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic, highlighting the songs ICU and Graceland Too but finding the album too focused on articulated depression

Records

• Peaked at number 43 on the Billboard 200
• Charted in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Switzerland
• Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album
• Ranked highly in year-end lists by Pitchfork, Consequence of Sound, The New Yorker, Under the Radar, and NPR, among others
• The follow-up EP Copycat Killer peaked at number 78 on the Billboard 200 in May 2021

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The Copycat Killer EP takes its title from a lyric in the title track.
• Bridgers wore the skeleton suit on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Late Late Show with James Corden, and in three of the four music videos.
• The music video for Savior Complex was directed in black and white by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and featured Bridgers's then-boyfriend Paul Mescal.
• The release was first scheduled for June 19, Juneteenth, but Bridgers released it early on digital services on June 18.
• Bridgers's dog Max died during the recording process.
• In 2024, Rolling Stone listed the cover photo as the 96th best album cover of all time.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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