AOTY 2023

Stranger in the Alps

Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the Alps
Critic Score
Based on 19 reviews
2017 Ratings: #148 / 933
Year End Rank: #38
User Score
2017 Ratings: #45
Liked by 595 people
Sign In to rate and review

CRITIC REVIEWS

100
A.V. Club

Like the best sad-bastard music, Stranger In The Alps alchemizes sorrow into redemptive beauty. It’s never about wallowing, but about slowly moving through it. That difference, played out over some incredible, wise-beyond-her-years songwriting, makes it one of the best albums of the year.

91
Consequence of Sound
It’s a gentle, wistful, even mournful record that makes for an outstanding coming-out party for Bridgers and a haunting experience for the listener, with melodies and sentiments that linger, softly and poignantly, long after the music ends.
90
musicOMH

Phoebe Bridgers is a 23 year old LA-based songwriter who early collaborator Ryan Adams has already compared to Bob Dylan and while that’s undoubtedly hyperbole at the moment, Stranger In The Alps is certainly one of those records that seem destined to herald a long-lasting career.

90
Exclaim!

The gripping tension between vulnerability and courage on Los Angeles musician Phoebe Bridgers' debut album, Stranger in the Alps, is something that usually takes singer-songwriters numerous attempts to achieve — if ever.

85
Under the Radar
The delicate ferocity of her voice and kick of lyrical angst rightfully place Bridgers in the same realm as revered artists Julia Jacklin and Angel Olsen.
80
Drowned in Sound
The record is a stunning achievement, and one that heralds the arrival of a major talent, undoubtedly in it for the long haul. Even more importantly, it feels special in an intangible way that I’m at something of a loss to explain.
80
The Irish Times
Her voice, rich in vulnerability and attitude, commands this edgy, deeply personal landscape.
80
Q Magazine
Across these songs, Bridgers manages an unusual marriage of delicacy and lo-fi wit, and it's a union that has led her to quietly make one of the albums of the year.
80
Mojo
Barbed but beautiful.
80
The Line of Best Fit
An effortless, emotive landscape throughout, Bridgers manages to tug at your heartstrings while giving you the ability to accept your fate.
80
DIY
‘Stranger in the Alps’ is as accomplished a solo debut as you’ll hear all year - a quietly devastating listen worthy of Phoebe Bridgers’ obvious influences.
80
NME
‘Strangers In The Alps’ is definitely album for the sad times. Get ready to embrace the tears.
78
Sputnikmusic

Whether she’s touching on the impact of losing a legend like Bowie or battling her own demons, Strangers in the Alps is a vibrant and rare debut that’s not afraid to tell it how it is.

75
Spectrum Culture

She has proven that her sweet and somber storytelling can stand its own ground.

70
Northern Transmissions

Stranger in the Alps contains enough glimmers of talent that it’s easy to believe once she’s seen a bit more of the world and done a bit more as an artist, she will return with a stronger second effort.

70
AllMusic

The debut long-player from the Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter, Stranger in the Alps is a candid, wry, death-obsessed, and altogether transfixing collection of ruminative indie-folk confections that invoke names like Elliott Smith, Jenny Lewis, Laura Marling, Julien Baker, and Lisa Germano.

70
Pitchfork

The span of time these songs cover can make Stranger in the Alps feel overwhelming and occasionally incohesive. Playing it from front to back comes with the intensity of scrolling all the way through someone’s Facebook photos.

60
The Skinny
Equal parts Mary Lou Lord and Margo Timmins, Bridgers is someone finding her way, trying things out, rarely settling for easy when something more is called for.
60
Uncut
Throughout, her lyrics betray a convincing world-weariness.
BradTasteMusic
73

Stranger in the Alps is a really dark, yet sweet folk debut from Phoebe Bridgers. This is my first album from her, and I am quite happy with it. The production and mixing is stunning, and she puts a ton of care into making sure these songs sound heavenly. The songs are all very sonically consistent, and engaging for the most part.

This album does suffer from a couple of things. It is frontloaded. The best songs are at the start, and it slowly starts to sound like an amateurish folk album by ... read more

halbery
89

wowowoowoooooo spooky ghost :0

thecrestedrose
93

Diving deep into an uncanny realm of ethereal indie-folk, headfirst into an otherworldly atmosphere that is then so expertly weaved all-throughout its ten-track runtime (eleven-track, if we count the 33-second reprise that cyclically caps the experience), Bridgers' 'Stranger in the Alps' is a (borderline) unparalleled debut that's ghostly guitar-driven balladic ambiance tells somber tales of love and loss, life and death, and all the complex and awkward intricacies that define what it means to ... read more

v3radawn
94

i love slow music but this was really slow

80

Stranger in the Alps é uma mistura de folk rock com indie que combina muito bem. Phoebe Bridges entrega performances vocais belas, além de letras sombrias e melancólicas, dando a sensação de um álbum que você deve ouvir em um dia chuvoso e triste em casa. É uma obra interessante e que começa de maneira belíssima e que ao longo das faixas perde um pouco de sua potência, o que não incomoda em nada, já que as ... read more

Thatkidmax
85

Very dark, but beautiful album.

Purchasing Stranger in the Alps from Amazon helps support Album of the Year. Or consider a donation?
Become a Donor
Donor badge, no ads + more benefits.
Advertisement

Track List

1Smoke Signals
5:24
91
2Motion Sickness
3:49
93
3Funeral
3:52
91
4Demi Moore
3:18
84
5Scott Street
5:05
92
6Killer
3:09
84
7Georgia
4:07
86
8Chelsea
4:42
78
9Would You Rather
3:19
81
10You Missed My Heart
6:57
85
11Smoke Signals (Reprise)
0:33
77
Total Length: 44 minutes

Please stay on topic. To go off topic, head to the General Chat.

Sign in to comment
7mo
7mo
7mo
11mo


Added on: September 16, 2017