It hits different. You know that feeling when you're scrolling through old camera roll dumps and you find a photo that smells like a specific Tuesday three years ago? That's the energy Beatrice Laus—better known as beabadoobee—tapped into with "Pictures of Us." It isn't just a track on an album. It’s a mood. When people search for pictures of us beabadoobee, they aren't usually looking for a literal gallery of her childhood photos, though those are floating around the internet too. Usually, they’re looking for that specific intersection of 2000s nostalgia, Matty Healy’s production influence, and the feeling of being young and slightly messy.
Bea has this way of making the mundane feel cinematic.
The song actually came from a place of genuine friendship and creative collaboration. It’s one of the standout tracks from her 2022 album Beatopia. If you've followed her trajectory from "Coffee" to the fuzzy rock of Fake It Flowers, you noticed the shift here. This wasn't just bedroom pop anymore. It was something more expansive. Something that felt like a hazy afternoon in London.
The Story Behind the Song and Those "Pictures"
Let’s get into the weeds of how this song actually happened because the "pictures" in the title aren't random. Bea has been vocal about how this track was a co-write with Matty Healy from The 1975. If you listen closely, you can hear his fingerprints all over the acoustic-driven, atmospheric soundscape.
Honestly, it’s a song about a specific person. It’s about looking at old photos and realizing how much has changed, yet how much that person still lingers in your head.
"I wrote it with Matty," Bea mentioned in an interview with Apple Music. She talked about how the song originally had a different life before it became the anthem for nostalgia-obsessed Gen Z fans. The lyrics mention things like "reminiscing about the things we did" and the "pictures of us" that remain. It’s a literal and figurative reference. It’s the digital footprint of a relationship that doesn’t exist in the physical world anymore.
The song resonates because it’s relatable. Everyone has those pictures of us beabadoobee describes—the ones hidden in a "Recently Deleted" folder or buried under a thousand screenshots of memes.
Why the 2000s Aesthetic Matters
You can’t talk about Bea without talking about the visuals. Her aesthetic is a massive part of why she blew up. She basically pioneered the return of the "dirty blonde, oversized sweater, thrifted skirt" look that dominates Pinterest.
When you see the official visuals or live performances associated with the song, it’s all very lo-fi. It’s grainy. It’s 35mm film. It’s the visual equivalent of a warm hug from someone wearing a scratchy wool sweater. This isn't accidental. Bea has cited 90s and early 2000s icons like Elliott Smith and The Sundays as major influences. You can see it in her music videos. They look like home movies.
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What People Get Wrong About Beatopia
Some folks think Beatopia was just a catchy name. It wasn’t. It was actually a world Bea created when she was seven years old. She had this whole map, a language, and a culture for this imaginary country.
"Pictures of Us" fits into that world because it represents the emotional core of looking back at your younger self. The "us" in the song could be a lover, sure, but it could also be the "us" that refers to her and her younger self.
- It’s about growth.
- It’s about the pain of moving on.
- It’s about the weirdness of having your life documented in photos.
The song stays stuck in your head because of the open tuning. It’s got that "Everlong" by Foo Fighters vibe but softened around the edges. It’s dreamy but grounded. It’s the kind of song you play when you’re driving home at 11 PM and the streetlights are doing that blurry thing through the windshield.
The Matty Healy Connection
We have to talk about the Dirty Hit family. Beabadoobee is signed to the same label as The 1975, and the collaboration on "Pictures of Us" was a "pinch-me" moment for her.
Matty actually gave her the riff. Can you imagine? Just sitting around and one of the biggest rock stars in the world hands you a melody that eventually becomes one of your most-streamed songs. But Bea made it hers. Her airy vocals provide a contrast to the somewhat melancholic guitar work. It’s a balance. If Matty had sung it, it might have felt too cynical. With Bea, it feels earnest.
There's a specific vulnerability in her voice when she sings the chorus. It’s not polished. It’s human. That’s what people are looking for when they search for pictures of us beabadoobee. They want that authenticity.
Why We’re Obsessed with Nostalgia
Why does a song about old pictures hit so hard in 2026?
Probably because we’re living in an era where everything is temporary. Stories disappear in 24 hours. Beabadoobee captures the desire for something permanent. A physical photo. A memory that doesn't have an expiration date.
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The lyrics "I’m still thinking of the pictures of us" echoes the sentiment of a generation that feels like they missed out on the "analog" world. We’re nostalgic for a time we barely lived through. Bea acts as the bridge. She uses modern production but dresses it in vintage clothes.
Decoding the Lyrics
If you look at the verses, she talks about being "tired of the same old things." It’s a classic coming-of-age trope, but she gives it a fresh coat of paint. She mentions writing things down, the "ink on the paper," and the "pictures on the wall."
It’s all very tactile.
The song doesn't try too hard to be a hit. That’s why it became one. It wasn't engineered for a TikTok dance, even though the "I’m still thinking of the pictures of us" line has been used in thousands of "photo dump" videos. It feels like a secret you're sharing with her.
How to Get That Beabadoobee Vibe
If you're reading this because you're obsessed with the song and the "look" of her world, you’re not alone. To really "get" the pictures of us beabadoobee aesthetic, you have to lean into the imperfections.
- Stop using filters. Use a real film camera or at least an app that mimics the light leaks of a 90s point-and-shoot.
- Listen to the influences. Go listen to Reading, Writing and Arithmetic by The Sundays. You’ll hear where Bea gets that crystalline vocal style.
- Embrace the mess. Her room, her hair, her lyrics—it’s all a bit cluttered. That’s the point. Life is cluttered.
The song is a reminder that it's okay to look back. You don't always have to be "moving forward" at 100 mph. Sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is sit on your floor, look at some old photos, and feel a little bit sad about how fast time goes.
The Impact on Her Career
"Pictures of Us" helped solidify beabadoobee as more than just a viral sensation. It showed she could handle complex arrangements and heavy emotional themes. It moved her into the "artist's artist" category.
When she performs it live, the energy in the room shifts. It’s a sing-along, but a quiet one. It’s the moment in the set where everyone puts their phones down—ironically—to just be in the moment.
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Moving Forward with the Music
So, what do you do with this?
First, go watch the live acoustic version she did for Vevo. It strips away the studio magic and leaves just the song. You can see the way she plays that specific open tuning. It’s a great lesson for any aspiring guitarists who want to move away from standard power chords.
Second, check out the rest of Beatopia. If "Pictures of Us" is the heart of the album, songs like "10:36" are the pulse.
Ultimately, beabadoobee has mastered the art of the "sonic photograph." She captures a moment in time and bottles it up so we can revisit it whenever we want. That’s the power of the pictures of us beabadoobee—it’s a time machine that fits in your pocket.
Actionable Next Steps
To truly appreciate the depth of "Pictures of Us" and the Beatopia era, start by exploring the specific gear and tunings Bea uses. She often plays in Open D or various "Slack Key" style tunings which give her songs that signature chime. If you're a musician, try detuning your guitar to $DADF#AD$ and playing along to the track; you'll immediately feel that atmospheric resonance that standard tuning lacks.
For the non-musicians, curate a physical photo album. In a world of digital clutter, the song is a call to value the physical relics of our lives. Print out ten photos that define your last year and keep them somewhere you can actually see them. It changes your relationship with your own history, moving it from a cloud server to a tangible part of your environment. Finally, dive into the 90s shoegaze and dream-pop playlists on Spotify or Tidal to hear the lineage of this sound—bands like Lush and Mazzy Star are essential listening to understand the DNA of beabadoobee's work.