At some point, it gets hard to just think about the music even if Phoebe Bridgers’s new single is quite the well-produced earworm.

The California artist is lauded as a generational songwriter for Gen Z. I won’t even begin to argue with that. My 20-year-old intern talks about her breathlessly. She’s certainly not alone. As an old man, I like her, too.

As Bridgers gets launches her third album, “Lost Weekend,” it is a major affair — so major that the music feels like a secondary affair.

First, there were the small shows at tiny venues across the U.S. where no phones were allowed and a bevy of clues were leaked out to eager fans. And then, with just about a day’s notice, she sold out Madison Square Garden. After that, Bridgers snapped her fingers and sold out a full arena tour in the U.S. and overseas. That’s an astonishing 500,000 tickets in just a few hours.

Even the release of the lead single, “Lost Boys,” comes with its own merch line, limited edition 7-inch, and a lot of other swag — or “ways to interact with the artist” if you’re less cynical than I am. 

And when you finally do get to the music itself, it’s quite a lovely track. It’s Bridgers at her most anthemic, taking the tiny bedroom moments of her previous releases and amping them up for that run of sold-out arenas later this year. You’ll be able to sing “Lost Boys” at the top of your lungs if you were lucky enough to get a ticket. 

Super producer Jack Antonoff gives “Lost Boys” a hell of a lot of space to build and echo through the room. The result is a track that feels massive, has a nifty little brass section that gives it big time pomp-and-circumstance, and the lyrics are vague enough that anyone can shove their life experiences inside of them and cosplay as Bridgers herself.

If you’re not into Bridgers’ music, it’s going to be a long year for you. She’ll be everywhere, and you might take the route of simply rejecting what’s popular.

But if you can get over the hype machine, you’ll find that Bridgers is in fact writing some of her strongest material and is an artist who still hasn’t missed across three albums. “Lost Boys” proves that she’s not about to take a musical misstep anytime soon.

This article was originally published on Midbrow.

Diving into new music from Azekel, JIM, Kokoroko, Nate Smith, Don Glori, Phoebe Bridgers, Getdown Services and Kurt Vile.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for August 14, 2026

• “Mountain Top” — RIO KOSTA
• “What It Gave Me” — Jordan Rakei & Jalen Ngonda
• “Comin’ Home Baby” — Mel Tormé
• “Lived In Bars” — Cat Power
• “Moon & I (feat. Céline Dessberg)” — Azekel
• “I’m So Glad” — Magic Sam
• “KEEPS ME WARM” — JIM
• “Da Du Dah (Aleh Remix)” — Kokoroko
• “SPOTTIEOTTIEDOPALISCIOUS” — Kassa Overall
• “PATCHWORK” — Nate Smith, Kiefer, CARRTOONS & Kenny Beats
• “All Blues” — Nicholas Payton & Butcher Brown
• “Sundancer” — Don Glori
• “Miffed It” — Way Dynamic
• “Haunted” — Phoebe Bridgers
• “Lost Boys” — Phoebe Bridgers
• “Summer Sweat” — Hannah Cohen
• “Golden Gate” — Miranda Lee Richards
• “Germfree Adolescence” — X-Ray Spex
• “Backstairs” — The New Pornographers
• “Buena” — Morphine
• “Up on the Sun” — Meat Puppets
• “Days” — Television
• “Rein Me In” — Sam Fender & Olivia Dean
• “Cha Cha Slide” — Getdown Services
• “Glory” — Sault
• “Si, Si, Si” — Abelardo Carbono & Quantic
• “Pelota (Cut a Rug Mix)” — Khruangbin & Quantic
• “Cajun Moon” — J.J. Cale
• “Hey Joe” — The Jimi Hendrix Experience
• “Zoom 97” — Kurt Vile
• “22° Halo” — pôt-pot
• “You Ain’t the Problem” — Michael Kiwanuka
• “Rite of the Ancients” — The Budos Band
• “Spanish Grease” — Willie Bobo
• “Slipping into Darkness” — Funkees

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

There’s plenty of new music on today’s show, including tracks from Bullion, Nation of Language, Night Tapes, Phoebe Bridgers, The Strokes, and Tyler Ballgame. In addition, you’ll hear everything from The Clash, Elvis Costello, R.E.M., Tom Waits, Lake Trout, and Antibalas. 

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above. 

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for August 4, 2026 

• “Pulse” – Chronical Deep & Kabza De Small 

• “Roo” – Bullion 

• “Weak In Your Light” – Nation of Language 

• “swim” – Night Tapes 

• “Blood Spilled” – Blonde Redhead 

• “My World (feat. Aidan, Bawo & Ox Eye)” – Jam City  

• “Moon & I (feat. Céline Dessberg)” – Azekel 

• “One and the Same” – Thee Sacred Souls & Victor Axelrod 

• “Lonely Girl” – Lamont Landers 

• “If You Don’t Want My Love” – Jalen Ngonda 

• “Nothing But a Heartache” – The Flirtations 

• “Easy” – Gotts Street Park & Celeste 

• “I Can See” – Nick Hakim 

• “TOMORROW, AGAIN” – Nate Smith, Kiefer, CARRTOONS & Kenny Beats 

• “Freddie Freeloader” – Nicholas Payton & Butcher Brown 

• “Sounds from Below” – Lake Trout 

• “Little Things” – Lake Trout 

• “Watching The Detectives (Live at Good Afternoon (Broadcast) / September 27th, 1977)” – Elvis Costello 

• “(I Don’t Want to Go To) Chelsea” – Elvis Costello & The Attractions 

• “London Calling” – The Clash 

• “New Case” – Upchuck 

• “Yellow Sun” – Downtown Boys 

• “I Will Follow” – U2 

• “Live It Down” – Tyler Ballgame  

• “18” – Suki Waterhouse 

• “Lost Boys” – Phoebe Bridgers 

• “Get Away From Me (I Think I’ll Love You Soon)” – Julia Jacklin 

• “Kick Stones (The Boys)” – Westside Cowboy 

• “Jackie Down The Line” – Fontaines D.C. 

• “Downtown Train” – Tom Waits 

• “Baby, I Love You” – Ramones 

• “Going Shopping” – The Strokes 

• “Can’t Get There From Here” – R.E.M. 

• “Go Je Je” – Antibalas 

• “After the Rain” – Cole Pulice 

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.