Beatrice Laus—the world knows her as beabadoobee—is done with the bedroom. Well, the aesthetic version of it, anyway. If you've been following her since the "Coffee" days, you know the drill: lo-fi, fuzzy guitars, that specific brand of London indie-pop that feels like it was recorded through a wool sweater. But beabadoobee this is how tomorrow moves changes the locks. It’s her third studio album, and honestly, it’s the first time she sounds like she’s not trying to hide behind a wall of 90s distortion.
It’s cleaner. It’s sharper. It’s undeniably Rick Rubin.
When it dropped in August 2024 via Dirty Hit, the vibe shifted. Gone were the overt nods to Pavement or Sonic Youth that defined Fake It Flowers. In their place? A sophisticated, bossa nova-tinted, piano-led maturity that feels more like Fiona Apple or Elliott Smith. This isn't just another indie record. It’s a statement.
The Rick Rubin effect at Shangri-La
Recording at Shangri-La in Malibu is a trope at this point, right? Every artist goes there to "find themselves" among the surf and the stripped-back minimalism. But for Bea, it actually worked. Working with Rick Rubin forced her to confront her own songs without the safety net of heavy pedals.
Rubin is famous for his "do less" philosophy. He isn't a producer who twiddles knobs until everything sounds like a radio hit; he’s more of a spiritual guide who asks why a lyric exists. In various interviews, Bea mentioned how he encouraged her to stop hiding her voice. You can hear it on "Take A Bite." The vocals are dry, upfront, and vulnerable. There’s a certain grit there that was previously buried under layers of reverb.
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The songwriting process for beabadoobee this is how tomorrow moves was famously isolated. Bea was coming off a massive tour—including those career-altering opening slots for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour—and found herself back in a domestic space, processing a breakup and a new relationship simultaneously. That tension is the engine of the album.
Finding the folk in the fuzz
The track "Ever Seen" is a perfect example of this evolution. It started as a folk song. On earlier records, she might have cranked the gain and turned it into a grunge anthem. Here, it stays breezy. It feels like a late afternoon in California, even though the DNA is purely British.
Then you have "Beach Song," which tackles the crushing weight of self-perception. It’s moody. It’s introspective. It sounds like someone who has spent a lot of time looking at their own reflection in a tour bus window and didn't necessarily like what they saw.
Moving away from the "Gunga" era
For a long time, Bea was the poster child for the 90s revival. If you wanted a girl with a blue guitar sounding like she just stepped out of 1994, she was your go-to. But staying in that lane is a death sentence for longevity.
Beabadoobee this is how tomorrow moves is her "grown-up" record, but not in that boring, "I’m making jazz now" way. It’s grown-up because the emotions are messier. She’s admitting to being the problem in some of these songs. On "Beaches," she’s literally singing about the transition to the Malibu studio, acknowledging how the environment changed the output. It’s meta. It’s self-aware.
The arrangements are the real MVP here. Jacob Bugden, her longtime collaborator and guitarist, remains a massive influence, but the addition of strings and more complex rhythmic structures—especially those bossa nova flairs on "A Night to Remember"—shows a musician who is finally bored of the three-chord structure.
What people get wrong about her "Change"
I've seen some fans complaining that it’s "too polished."
That’s a misunderstanding of what "polished" means in this context. This isn't Top 40 gloss. It’s clarity. If you listen to "Girl Song," it’s just her and a piano. There is nowhere to hide. That’s not "polished"—that’s terrifying for an artist who built their brand on being "lo-fi." To strip away the "lo-fi" tag is to stand naked in front of your audience.
She’s 24 now. She’s not the 17-year-old who wrote "Coffee" in her bedroom anymore. Expecting her to stay in that room is unfair. The album title itself is a nudge to the listener: this is how tomorrow moves. It’s forward-facing.
The sonic architecture of the tracks
Let's talk about "Tie My Shoes." It’s a quiet highlight. The track deals with her relationship with her father and the lingering feelings of childhood. It’s a theme she’s touched on before, but never with this much surgical precision.
- The Vocal Range: She’s using more of her head voice than ever.
- The Rhythms: There’s a syncopation in the percussion that feels organic, not programmed.
- The Lyrics: "I guess I'm still a child / 'Cause I'm still tied to you." It's simple, but it cuts.
Then there's "Post," which brings back some of that signature grit but houses it in a much more sophisticated container. The drums are punchier. The bass has a roundness that only high-end analog gear (and Rubin’s ears) can provide.
Why this album matters for indie music in 2026
We are currently seeing a massive shift in the indie landscape. The "bedroom pop" era is officially over. The kids who started those movements are either disappearing or evolving into something more substantial.
Beabadoobee this is how tomorrow moves provides a blueprint for how to survive that transition. You don't have to sell out and make synth-pop. You don't have to stay stuck in a loop of nostalgia. You can just... write better songs.
The record peaked at Number 1 on the UK Albums Chart, proving that there is a massive appetite for guitar-driven music that doesn't feel like a museum piece. She’s leading a pack that includes artists like Laufey (who she’s collaborated with) and Mitski—artists who value musicianship over virality, even if they happen to go viral anyway.
Understanding the "Tomorrow" in the title
The title is actually a bit of a mantra. It’s about the inevitability of change.
Bea has spoken about how she used to be terrified of the future. The "tomorrow" in her previous lyrics was often something to be feared or a place where things go wrong. In this record, tomorrow is just a movement. It’s a flow. It’s something she’s finally participating in rather than resisting.
Breaking down the highlights
If you're just diving into the record, don't just shuffle it. It’s built as a cohesive journey.
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"California" is the upbeat, radio-friendly hook that reminds you she can still write a bop. It’s sunny but has that underlying British cynicism. "This Is How It Went" serves as a brutal closer. It’s a post-mortem on a relationship that feels like reading someone’s private notes.
The album isn't perfect—sometimes the mid-tempo tracks can bleed into one another if you aren't paying attention—but its flaws make it feel human. It’s a record made by people in a room, not by an algorithm trying to find the perfect TikTok soundbite.
How to actually listen to this record
To get the most out of beabadoobee this is how tomorrow moves, you have to stop comparing it to Beatopia. Beatopia was a world-building exercise. It was escapism.
This is reality.
- Use decent headphones: The textures in the acoustic guitars are incredible. You can hear the fingers sliding on the strings.
- Listen to the lyrics: Bea has improved immensely as a storyteller. She’s moved past abstract metaphors into concrete, often painful, imagery.
- Watch the live sessions: Seeing her perform these songs live at Shangri-La (there are videos on YouTube) adds a whole new layer of appreciation for the technical skill involved.
Final Insights for Fans and Newcomers
Beabadoobee has successfully navigated the "difficult third album" trope by simply being honest. She didn't try to reinvent the wheel; she just decided to show us the wheel more clearly.
If you want to understand where indie music is headed, look at this transition. It’s moving away from the aesthetic and toward the authentic. It’s moving away from the "vibe" and toward the song.
Actionable Next Steps for Readers:
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- Compare the sessions: Listen to "Coming Home" from Beatopia and then "Girl Song" from the new record. Note the difference in vocal production.
- Check the credits: Look at the contributions of Jacob Bugden. His evolution as a producer and arranger alongside Bea is one of the most underrated partnerships in modern indie.
- Watch the 'Beaches' music video: It perfectly encapsulates the Malibu-meets-London aesthetic that defines this era of her career.
- Explore her influences: If you like the bossa nova elements of this album, dive into Astrud Gilberto or the more melodic side of Elliott Smith’s XO.
Beabadoobee isn't just a "bedroom pop" survivor. She's a songwriter who finally found her voice by letting it be quiet. Beabadoobee this is how tomorrow moves is the sound of an artist growing up in real-time, and it's easily the most interesting thing she's ever done.