“Fake it Flowers,” the debut studio album by Beabadoobee, was released on October 16, 2020. Beatrice Laus, with 12 songs, creates a nostalgic feeling with her music. After becoming quite popular through her feature on Death Bed by Powfu, and after her five-song EP “Space Cadet,” she continues to make music within the lo-fi alternative genre. Each song on her debut album feels perfectly personal and some allow listeners insight into her experiences. 

The first song on the album, Care, sounds like that of songs from the late 1990s and early 2000s. The character in the song, Beatrice, speaks of something that happened to her earlier in her life, though she wants to forget about it and stop caring. In the first verse, she sings, “It’s been a while since I’ve talked about it // Maybe it’s time to cooperate // I need some help to forget about it,” and in the pre-chorus, she sings, “I don’t want your sympathy.” She then continues to imply that whom she is speaking to does not care about what she is going through, and the repetition of “care” emphasizes that in a simple and appealing way, and without that person’s care she should just simply forget. 

Back To Mars, the fourth song starts with a mellow guitar instrumental. Even with a short one minute and thirty-one seconds, it creates a more calm and subdued feeling compared to the previous songs. It can be considered as somewhat of a letter to who she is singing for. It starts with questions – “Ask me again, are we friends or are we something more? // Doesn’t it hurt to think about how we were just before?” She continues to list off harmless activities to do with this person, and the nostalgic feeling continues. The title, as well, could imply that she wants to go to a more peaceful place with the person she is singing for since Mars is not inhabited at all. 

The seventh song is Sorry and it creates a clearly solemn tone throughout. Similarly to Back to Mars, it is speaking to someone, though with different circumstances, with lyrics like, “You stayed in the same dark place that I adore // But you stayed for more // I guess that’s what happens to the best of us.” She continues to repeat “I’m sorry” to the person who she mentions throughout the song, because she says that a part of her feels for them and that she has been doing fine, but these circumstances have still deeply affected her, most likely since she had known them for a long time prior. 

How Was Your Day? is the 10th song on the album. It already creates a raw feeling due to the voices at the start. The mood of the song is more subdued, like Back To Mars, and has such a calming and atmospheric sound to it. While not the concluding song of the album, it sounds simplistic, considering the rest of the songs. It is only her vocals and her guitar, and she sings, “Remember when we used to fight // And I miss getting angry at you // ‘Cause at least I felt something new.” She continues to recount what and who she misses, and she asks them “How was your day? // Was it okay?” She recognizes that change has to be made, just as simple as the weather, but she still wants to be with those people. 

The 12th and final song is titled Yoshimi, Forest, Magdalene and it continues the upbeat pop-rock sound she previously introduced earlier in the album. Similarly to Care and Worth It, the first two songs, it creates the nostalgic early 2000s feeling. While slightly warped during the chorus, it ends the album on a more positive note, after the more personal songs. It holds no specifically deep meaning, but she implies she wants to give someone the names Yoshimi, Forest, and Magdalene. It ties up the album in a, albeit messy, perfect way. 

With 12 songs, Beabadoobee allows everyone into her personal experiences in her debut album “Fake it Flowers.” While the songs do sound similar to songs from the past, especially those of the late 1990s to early 2000s era, they each have unique aspects and are well worth a listen. 

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