Beabadoobee Enlists Alt-Rock Collaborators for Grungier Fourth Album
Beabadoobee's fourth album Pylon shifts toward grungier, angstier territory, with contributions from members of Turnstile, Deftones, Paramore, and Pinegrove. The record replaces the tweeness of her previous work with sludgy riffs and screeching feedback. Guest vocalists include Chino Moreno and Hayley Williams, adding to the alt-rock atmosphere.
The album marks a deliberate sonic departure from Laus's earlier work, trading the lighter textures of 2024's *This Is How Tomorrow Moves* for distorted guitars and heavier production. The title track opens with a churning string arrangement before erupting into dense feedback, while tracks like "Radio" layer sarcastic riffs over thick fuzz. Her vocals have developed a fluttery vibrato, though moments where she pushes toward snarls and shouts reveal the effort behind the aggression.
The guest list spans multiple generations of alternative rock. Chino Moreno contributes backing vocals to the closing track, while Hayley Williams, Shane Moran, Evan Stevens Hall, and Brendan Yates appear in various capacities. Laus's fandom of Pinegrove runs deep enough that she got a neck tattoo of the band last year. The collaborators don't dominate the sound, however—the album remains recognizably Beabadoobee, just with added grit.
The album reflects a broader cultural moment where younger listeners are rediscovering 2000s alt-metal and grunge through streaming platforms, as evidenced by Deftones' renewed popularity with young women. Beabadoobee's pivot toward heavier sounds could expand her audience beyond indie pop fans, potentially bridging the gap between mainstream pop rock and alternative scenes. This shift may also signal a trend of pop-leaning artists incorporating grunge aesthetics, reshaping how genre boundaries are drawn in contemporary music.