Phoebe Bridgers on the song that “encapsulates what it feels like to live in the United States”
Through her moonlit, melancholic soundscapes and her contributions to beloved supergroup Boygenius, Phoebe Bridgers has carved out a place for herself as a modern indie staple. Her lyricism primarily looks inward, charting her anxieties surrounding love, depression, and healing. This vulnerability and honesty endeared her to a generation of young girls who found their own experiences reflected in her words.
Her music may be predicated on introspection, but Bridgers has demonstrated her concern for the broader world outside of her songwriting. Though there are only glimpses of it in her music, the subtle dig at an ex’s Donald Trump-supporting mother in ‘ICU’, for example, Bridgers has utilised her platform to speak out about politics.
She collaborated with Maggie Rogers in 2020 to cover Goo Goo Dolls track ‘Iris’ in an effort to raise money for Fair Fight Action, which works against voter suppression. She has spoken out about her support for abortion, shared her experience, and declared her support for trans rights.
Though her awareness and contempt for the inequalities of modern American society haven’t quite stretched into her own songwriting, she does seem to admire artists who sing about those subjects. In an interview with The Line of Best Fit, the Boygenius singer named ‘Jack At The Asylum’ by The Felice Brothers as one of her favourite songs.
“America, America, you give me nightmares,” the song laments over folky soundscapes. The track charts the country’s deplorable history before bewailing, “I thought of running off, but where would I go?” According to Bridgers, it “totally encapsulates what it feels to live in the United States right now, in a way that doesn’t sound corny or bitter or like they’re standing on some sort of pedestal”.
Bridgers first heard the tune while she was touring with friend, collaborator, and advisor Conor Oberst, as The Felice Brothers acted as his backing band. Continuing to laud the song for its masterful depiction of modern America, she stated, “It’s literally about how shitty it is and why we still live here, it’s so heartbreaking to me. With the lyrics, there’s no level that you can delve into them and be ‘that could be different’, they’re all just amazing.”
The singer-songwriter was equally complimentary about the accompanying instrumentals, noting, “It’s so powerful, and it’s not a ballad, like all of these other songs are. I like that about it too, that it’s got this really heavy chorus.” Bridgers even covered the song with the band and Oberst, recalling, “singing their song was really funny and weird. It was awesome.”
Listen to ‘Jack At The Asylum’ by The Felice Brothers below.
