Song of the Week: Beth Gibbons Contemplates the End on Debut Solo Song “Floating on a Moment”

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Song of the Week is Consequence’s weekly column highlighting the latest and greatest new tunes. Find these new favorites and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist, and for other great songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Beth Gibbons introduces her solo ambitions with “Floating on a Moment.”

Three decades after Portishead’s debut and 16 years after their most recent effort, Beth Gibbons has finally announced her long-awaited solo project, Lives Outgrown. While it’s not the first time Gibbons has stepped outside of the Portishead universe — she’s released more than one collaborative album and has lent her voice to artists like Kendrick Lamar — Lives Outgrown is the first full-length collection to bear Gibbons’ name and Gibbons’ name alone. Judging by its lead single, “Floating on a Moment,” it’s going to be a heavy one.

The track, helmed by Consequence’s 2023 Producer of the Year James Ford, exudes a certain hopelessness that, according to Gibbons, is emblematic of the new album’s direction. “People started dying,” Gibbons said of Lives Outgrown. “When you’re young, you never know the endings, you don’t know how it’s going to pan out. You think, ‘We’re going to get beyond this. It’s going to get better.’ Some endings are hard to digest… I realized what life was like with no hope, and that was a sadness I’d never felt. Before, I had the ability to change my future, but when you’re up against your body, you can’t make it do something it doesn’t want to do.”

Despite the always-developing, understated sonic beauty of “Floating on a Moment,” one can’t help but sense the bleakness behind the baroque instrumentation. Especially with Gibbons’ thoughts on death and sadness in mind, softly sung lines about heading to nowhere and being too afraid to feel free reveal the song’s existential concerns. There is seemingly the slightest glimmer of optimism as the song fades out, with dreamy, child-like backing vocals and Sufjan Stevens-esque folk instrumentation supporting Gibbons as she sings, “All we have, is here and now.” And yet, it feels more like a defeated surrender than a defiant embrace of the present.

Of course, the punchline is how pretty the song sounds. Despite the darkness of the lyrics, the prancing baseline, glistening arpeggios, and Gibbons’ delicate performance are paradoxically comforting. Squint and you might find the song to be warm and uplifting. Look closer, though, and you’ll wonder how you ever thought things were okay.

— Jonah Krueger
Editorial Coordinator

Honorable Mentions

Blitzen Trapper — “Cosmic Backseat Education”:

“Cosmic Backseat Education” is an ode to the various experiences of “education” that occur in the backseat of the car. At times, the song explores a capricious sexuality: “In the backseat of a Chevy, yeah, she taught me how to breathe/ Our love was like a tightrope and to fall was to believe/ She tied me up in knots and all I did was make her sneeze.” In other moments, it depicts the simple joy of listening to the radio. It’s a tune flooded with nostalgia, shared memories, and universal experiences. — Venus Rittenberg

Les Savy Fav — “Legendary Tippers”

For their first song in 14 (!) years, Les Savy Fav pick up right where they left off. “Legendary Tippers” is snarky, sardonic, and, somehow, still strangely wholesome. There are some classic post-punkisms, a little vocal manipulation, and a structure that builds on itself with each passing verse. Perhaps most remarkably, it doesn’t sound dated in the slightest, proving that perhaps they had laid more groundwork for modern, noise-prone post-punkers like IDLES or Viagra Boys than they’re often given credit for. — J. Krueger

Lindsey Lomis — “Long Way Down”

Lindsey Lomis’ acrobatic vocals are, perhaps, her not-so-secret weapon. The alt-pop artist wields her instrument like a sword, particularly in her newest release, “Long Way Down.” The track offers a slightly heavier sound than some of Lomis’ more singer-songwriter fare, leaning into charged power chords on the chorus, but Lomis dances effortlessly above it all with her playful melodies. “Long Way Down” is the first look into her recently announced EP, Handle With Care, expected to drop in March. — Mary Siroky

Mini Trees — “Shapeshifter”

Mini Trees returned this week with “Shapeshifter,” a groovy number about the struggles of being authentic instead of morphing into who others want you to be. Appropriately, the wide-open chord shift into the chorus feels like Mini Trees has just opened all the windows in the room, and her crystal clear voice is radiant and true. The syncopated keyboard line that roots the song is also a perfect conduit for her shapeshifting themes, especially when it gives way to warm guitar strums and atmospheric synths. — Paolo Ragusa

MX LONELY — “Connection”:

“Connection” from MX LONELY’s brand new EP, SPLIT, juxtaposes thunderous instrumentals with melodic vocals, crafting a near-shoegaze vibe with pummeling guitars and drums. Full of brilliant fuzz, the song maintains its power throughout its duration, but gets especially exciting towards the end with the whispered vocals. It’s an incredible moment of washed out catharsis, demanding attention and building on the momentum of everything that has occurred in the song up to that point. — V. Rittenberg

renforshort — “serpentine”

There’s something comforting about the lonely vibe of “serpentine,” a new release from LA-based artist renforshort. The gradual incorporation of strings builds to a charged bridge where she lays herself a bit bare: “Lately, I think too much/ My head races, lost in the flood/ But I love you,” she admits. In a statement, the artist mentions the influence of Elliott Smith in the writing process, particularly when it came to the melodies of “serpentine.” Angsty, wistful, and delicate all at once, it’s a song that sticks once it wraps. — M. Siroky

Tei Shi — “QQ (Quédate Queriéndome)”

Keep an eye on Tei Shi, whose music feels increasingly interesting with each passing release. The independent artist is gearing up for an LP — Valerie, landing on April 19th — and her newest song, “QQ,” is a bilingual bop that eases the pain of romantic hardship. Go yell at the moon, if you want, the music video seems to say; embrace catharsis and release and healing however you can. Tei Shi is undeniably establishing herself with a North American tour on the horizon, so get on her wave now. — M. Siroky 

Song of the Week Single Artwork:

Top Songs Playlist:

Song of the Week: Beth Gibbons Contemplates the End on Debut Solo Song “Floating on a Moment”
Jonah Krueger and Consequence Staff

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