Phoebe Bridgers has the world at her feet. With her highly accomplished and lauded debut album Stranger in the Alps already under her belt, and blossoming projects with darlings of the indie world Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus (Boygenius), and Conor Oberst (Better Oblivion Community Center) gathering steam and winning fans, it’s easy to forget that Bridgers is just 25 years old.

Punisher, her second solo release, draws on her expansive network. Having already collaborated with the 1975, the National, and Jackson Browne to name just a few (more), Bridgers calls up Baker, Dacus, Oberst, Christian Lee Hutson, Jim Keltner, and Blame Mills for guest appearances on this record. However, crucially, this still feels very much like a solo record, and a deeply personal one at that.

It builds on the momentum she built with Stranger in the Alps. It’s a more expansive record than its predecessor, but no less intimate. DVD Menu and Garden Song combine for an atmospheric, almost chilling introduction, before Kyoto, which feels like Fountains of Wayne, a wonderful slice of California pop rock complete with horns, changes the tempo significantly.

The title track is a haunting piano melody that neatly frames Bridgers´ incredible voice and lyrical fascination with some dark themes, which come to the fore again on the Elliott Smith-esque Hospital, where she whispers: “I hate living by the hospital / The sirens go all night / I used to joke that if they woke you up / Somebody better be dying”.

Chinese Satellite is a soaring, cascading, triumph of a track, and arguably, the best of what is a hugely impressive album. Closing track I Know The End, on which many of that myriad of Bridgers supporters weigh in with vocals and guitars to create a skidding, cacophonous monster of a track that builds from a subtle start, pushes it close though. Ultimately, this is a record that confirms Bridgers isn’t simply under the guidance of Oberst, Baker, and co, but is every bit their equal.

Punisher track list:

1. DVD Menu

2. Garden Song

3. Kyoto

4. Punisher

5. Halloween

6. Chinese Satellite

7. Moon Song

8. Savior Complex

9. ICU

10. Graceland Too

11. I Know The End

 indie-rock 

Watch the video for Kyoto below.