Our Extended Love Affair With Beabadoobee's ‘Our Extended Play’ EP

Since the release of her critically acclaimed debut album last October, 20-year-old Beatrice Laus, better known as beabadoobee, has teamed up with The 1975’s George Daniel to deliver a beautifully soft mixtape of tracks.

Having supported Daniel and his bandmates at various legs of their 2020 tour, this collaboration sees the drummer co-writing and producing four tracks, and is ultimately the recipe for a near-perfect duo concerned with societal issues in the modern age.

It is perhaps the closing track on which this is most prominent, with ‘He Gets Me So High’ screaming The 1975’s synth-pop style, grungy guitar riffs, and catchy hooks combination.

Despite the rumours of it featuring on the band’s next album, the singer-songwriter has undoubtedly made it her own. Beabadoobee’s vocals are as effortless as expected, and it cannot be said that she does not do the track justice.

Such romantic notions can also be found in ‘Cologne’, in which the singer-songwriter is seemingly yearning for the attention of another: “I’m not done yet / Please kiss my neck” / “Am I attractive? Tell me am I good enough?”. However, in the same breath, she also boasts of her overly self-confident attitude and so stresses her inner conflict: “I’m so attractive, think I’m going to explode”. Regardless of her young age, beabadoobee’s lyrical maturity is second to none and her ability to speak for societal issues through light-hearted guitar pop is impeccable.

The same can also be said for her versatility, as ‘Animal Noises’ is a slow, ethereal track that sees the singer’s heart placed firmly on her sleeve. The heartfelt acoustic ballad welcomes a guitar-plucked melody and subtle string accompaniment which counteract the track’s EP counterparts. Despite not being as true to her style as usual, beabadoobee still manages to write, perform, and produce a strikingly beautiful piece.

The EP opener ‘Last Day On Earth’ however, is beabadoobee at her best. Written during uncertain times, the singer keeps her music as light and animated as always despite a more sinister lyrical take: “And if it all goes wrong / And it looks like we’ll soon be gone / Then we should all just get along”. Paired with a scat-style chorus, the song is as jovial and uplifting as any other composed in a locked down world.

Whatever style it is that beabadoobee chooses to return with, her music will most definitely be as exciting as she is an artist, and our continued love affair with both is almost certainly guaranteed.

Lauren Whitehead

@laurenwhiteheadjourno @LaurenJourno_

IMAGE: ‘OUR EXTENDED PLAY’ EP OFFICIAL ARTWORK