From the outset the new single from Phoebe Bridgers beguiles and challenges. In ‘Garden Song’ the guitar is distorted and suppressed, sounding like the resonances of a ghostly marimba. Which may be what it is.
To go with the ambiguity of the music the opening lyrics are evocative and enigmatic ‘…someday, I’m gonna live in your house up on the hill….and when your skinhead neighbour goes missing…I’ll plant a garden in the yard then….they’re glueing roses on a flatbed…you should see it, I mean thousands….’.
This resolves into a recurring catchy chorus with overlaid vocals ‘…I don’t know when you got taller…see our reflection in the water….’ Like an interlude in a David Lynch movie, Phoebe weaves a mysterious tapestry of images that changes every time it is observed.
The much-viewed video features a hazy dream of assorted creatures and costumes, blurring between comfortable dream and nightmare – perfectly suited to this subtly stunning song.