‘Our Extended Play’ lightens the lockdown blues
Bea Kristi AKA beabadoobee’s playful EP, Our Extended Play, experiments with late-’90s guitar-pop and 2000s aesthetics to produce a cheerful soundtrack. The short but sweet four-track collection is a reflective milestone during the pandemic, ruminating lockdown blues. The frothy tunes and childhood nostalgia act as a remedy to ease the stress of time passing and growing older, inspiring a carefree sense of joy.
The nostalgic sound transports me to 2005: I’m shopping at Claire’s and listening to Avril Lavigne on my iPod touch. Life is simple and worry-free.
With the striped sleeves and cuffed beanie on the album cover, beabadoobee channels a pop-punk princess style akin to Lavigne and Paramore, and the blurriness is derivative of a Tumblr Girl profile picture, reminding me of my preteen-hood.
The tracks bear similarity to some of the hits from the late ‘90s to 2000s: Her delicate and sweet delivery in “He Gets Me So High” reminds me of Paris Hilton’s dreamy “Stars are Blind,” the guitar loop intro is like a faster-paced version of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story,” and “Cologne” is the happy-go-lucky cousin of Lavigne’s “Complicated.”
But beabadoobee adds her unique sugary sweetness and whimsical flair, stamping OEP with personality. In “Last Day on Earth,” the uplifting guitar ambiance is straight out of the ending scene of a 2000’s teen movie as a stark backdrop to the premise, which is the world ending. The lyrics boil down to lighthearted singalong gibberish which beckons you to sing along: “Shoop-doo, shoop-doo, badoobado.” “I wrote this song and it’s so fucking sick,” she sings, which shows she is adverting her woes during lockdown to enjoy the little things in life, like writing and singing frivolous pop music.
“Animal Noises,” is the slow song of the album, where beabadoobee laments her childhood. Her gentle, high-pitched singing is enough to give me goosebumps as I listen, hitting home when she sings “I guess that I’m getting too old.” This song is the most innocent track on the EP, encapsulating me with its somber vulnerability.
The EP was co-written and produced by The 1975 on a farm in lockdown. The talent this duo possesses gave me high expectations and did not disappointed. As two experimental artists dappling in similar genres, The 1975 and beabadoobee complement each other well. From Matt Healy’s vocal appearance in the bouncy call-and-response bridge in “He Gets Me So High,” to the angsty electric guitar riffs, everything comes together cohesively to produce standout bubblegum rock. This is definitely my favourite collaboration of 2021 so far and I can’t wait to see how OEP influences both artists in their future endeavours.
