In the age of the internet, it can be hard to stay present in the here and now. One may often find oneself wondering anxiously about what is to come in the days ahead, wishing there were someone to tell you, This is How Tomorrow Moves.
In this, beabadoobee’s most recent album, feelings of hope and ambition weave seamlessly into beautiful lyrics accompanied by harmonious melodies. This auditory masterpiece is a reflection of the inner workings of beabadoobee’s mind which offers a lesson on learning from one’s mistakes and moving on from the disappointments of past relationships.
In track one, “Take A Bite,” beabadoobee describes toxic behaviors she’s identified in her romantic relationships. She describes a pattern of self-sabotage: creating the perfect mental image of an unattainable partner and attaching herself so firmly to that image that she causes the downfall of their illusory relationship. She “[craves] expectations that are unattainable temptations.” While this doesn’t sound like a positive song, beabadoobee admits her faults as if she’s in talk therapy. By talking about the things she does wrong, beabadoobee may be able to move past them.
Track two, “California,” is all about change and how it often takes some sort of negative impetus for that change to occur. Maybe this change refers to a change in a relationship like in the following track, “One Time,” where beabadoobee describes how a relationship of hers ended as problems began to spring up and the couple ignored them—feeling a sense of hopelessness.
This lover could even be the same one as that from track four, “Real Man.” Here, beabadoobee gives herself up to her partner, not accepting anything in return. In the chorus, she repeats, “I guess no one ever taught you how to be a real man,” referring to his inaction in the relationship.
This idea continues in track ten, “Post,” where beabadoobee wishes her boyfriend would acknowledge her—and validate their relationship—in a public setting like a social media post. Maybe beabadoobee’s struggle with romance lies in her strained relationship with her father described in track five, “Tie My Shoes.” Here, she sings about wanting more from her father and feeling like he’s able to fix her problems, a desire born from never receiving the validation she craves so badly.
Unfortunately, in track thirteen, “The Man Who Left Too Soon,” beabadoobee describes the waxing and waning of her sadness in relation to her father’s death. She does take solace in the fact that they both looked at the same moon, one of the only commonalities she seems able to find with someone so closed off.
Track six, “Girl Song,” shifts away from beabadoobee’s relationships with others and focuses instead on her relationship with herself. She sings about her insecurities and how she feels like she’s disappointed those in her life. She feels like every day is different for her mentality. She’s grown tired of fighting her own emotions.
Returning to her relationships, track seven, “Coming Home,” describes the times beabadoobee has let down her partner. She begins the song by trying to describe how they can move forward with their relationship after she’s disappointed him so many times because of her career choice.
She ends the song by saying, “I’m not sorry ‘cause this time I won’t be late,” essentially telling her boyfriend that she will work harder to be there for him in the future.
In the album’s eighth song, “Ever Seen,” beabadoobee may be describing the beginning of the aforementioned relationship. In what might be the most unabashedly joyous song on the album, she describes how beautiful her boyfriend is and the “high” he gives her. Another such joyous song is track eleven, “Beaches.” In this song, beabadoobee describes the feeling of inspiration she gets from the environment she’s curated. She repeats, “I’m sure now, I’m sure,” possibly insinuating she’s sure she’s made the right decisions in life.
One of the first female characters of the album appears in track nine, “Cruel Affair.” Here, beabadoobee describes a sense of jealousy towards a seemingly perfect girl in her life. She wonders why this girl is so preoccupied all the time and how she seems to have everything figured out. In track twelve, “Everything I Want,” beabadoobee describes the compatibility of her and a partner, essentially saying she’s going to make it work how she hasn’t been able to in the past.
In “This Is How It Went,” the fourteenth, final, and arguably most important song on the album, beabadoobee sings about what makes this album hopeful. She relates the catharsis she feels from writing music and how she’s, “writing ‘cause [she’s] healing, never writing songs to hurt you,” with “you” referring to her ex-boyfriend.
This song ties the metaphorical ribbon on this album by actually telling the listener, ‘I’m struggling, but this is my way of coping and healing.’ This album proves that healing is not a linear process for everyone and, much like grieving, can come in all shapes and sizes.
For highschoolers especially, this message is incredibly important as this time is one filled with rejection, heartbreak, and feelings of loneliness. Through beabadoobee’s album, one may be able to find a sort of comfort in knowing that not only do others struggle in the same ways they do, but there is always a way to move on from this struggle and learn from past mistakes.
