Punisher
by Phoebe Bridgers
User Score
8.8

Universal acclaim- based on 435 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 395 out of 435
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 435
  3. Negative: 25 out of 435
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. lrssa
    Jun 21, 2020
    10
    ZERO defeitos esse álbum achei que não podia topar stranger mas ela se superou obrigada por tudo phoebe
  2. sslevanderbilt
    Jun 18, 2020
    10
    Equal parts grand, intimate, dark, & humorous, Punisher is an emo-indie-folk masterpiece that feels like an extended exhale after a good cry.
  3. Tbone413
    Sep 25, 2021
    10
    it’s a haunting emotional trip yet it’s so gorgeous, how an album can pull off both of those simultaneously I don’t know but this is a masterful album in every sense of the word
  4. IndianaParkWars
    Aug 21, 2020
    10
    **10/10. **
    A perfectly emotional and meaningful album with great high moments of bliss and low moments of hopelessness. The cinematic and musical references are perfectly placed and homaged. Finally, the last song and outro is absolutely gorgeous. It's that of an apocalypse, with a slow-building intensity, triumphant key change, and raw screaming. The end makes me cry; it's beautiful.    **10/10. **
    A perfectly emotional and meaningful album with great high moments of bliss and low moments of hopelessness. The cinematic and musical references are perfectly placed and homaged. Finally, the last song and outro is absolutely gorgeous. It's that of an apocalypse, with a slow-building intensity, triumphant key change, and raw screaming. The end makes me cry; it's beautiful. Also, I’ve probably listened to this album 20 times now.
    ALBUM ARTWORK: Absolutely tremendous artwork. Bridgers is iconically in her skeleton costume, looking into the sky just as her music does, with celestial and astrological themes throughout. The blue and red color scheme, with the black and gray shadows, is not only gorgeous, but it's symbolic of the tone of the music, being a dark, melancholy album, yet with a hit of heartbroken romance and tranquility.    … Expand
  5. candelrey
    Apr 1, 2023
    10
    One of my favorite albums of all time. Intimate, vulnerable and so immersive. Favorite songs: I know the end, chinese satellite and kyoto.
  6. Simao
    Oct 1, 2020
    10
    punisher is the definition of a mystical album.
    what i love the most about this album is how my two favorites moments are right in the first and last seconds.
    the first few chords of garden song introduces the listener to the album, which is finished with the astonishing climax in "i know the end". between these two songs we are taken on a drive through delicate and careful melodies    punisher is the definition of a mystical album.
    what i love the most about this album is how my two favorites moments are right in the first and last seconds.

    the first few chords of garden song introduces the listener to the album, which is finished with the astonishing climax in "i know the end". between these two songs we are taken on a drive through delicate and careful melodies accompanied by mysterious lyrics and phoebe’s unique voice.

    it’s a whole trip that i’ll never get tired of experience. thank you for this beautiful album phoebe!!

    fav song: garden song
    least fav: [NA]    … Expand
  7. Panchogul
    Aug 16, 2021
    10
    Que discazo, tan hipnótico, tan ecléctico y tan sofisticado que es nada excepto placer para mis oídos.
  8. jodieholmes
    Jul 17, 2020
    10
    this album came into my house and said baby its 4pm time to think about all the pain and emotional trauma i have caused you... and i said yes honey
  9. lUcOzAdExx
    Mar 4, 2021
    10
    This album is very special to me, it helped with so much last year and this year, i found it a fantastic record to listen to... and apart from my personal opinions, this is a very well-made album, the songwriting, the production, the story-telling feeling, phoebe's vocals and the general instrumentation of the songs makes it stand out and be part of the best albums we had on 2020
  10. viniciuspotlght
    Mar 16, 2021
    10
    The Punisher nonsense, with its simple images, contains rich signification. Phoebe's songs are hypnotic.
  11. Lgrew
    Jun 20, 2020
    10
    Best album of all time not joking. It hurts a lot to listen to...but its worth it.
  12. KirangopalS
    Nov 16, 2021
    10
    ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
  13. TheusFurler
    Jun 28, 2020
    10
    an instant classic. amazing songwriting, and i just wanna keep listening to it. one of the best albums of 2020.
  14. Willduffy
    Nov 22, 2020
    10
    A genius album. Kyoto, Chinese Satellite, I know the end are some of my favourites, but this entire album is excellent and deserves all the praise it's getting and more!
  15. 1lixo
    Dec 20, 2020
    10
    This is one of the best albums of all times. This is an incredible work of art and it changed my perspective to see the life. thank you Phoebe to keep me alive in this terrible year!
  16. Miguels
    Oct 23, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Esto es Stranger in The Alps perfeccionado. Algo muy superior a su predecesor. Impresionante trabajo lírico, vocal, y en aspecto de producción es impecable. Mantiene la misma esencia que Phoebe desea trasmitir. Te da esa calidez que necesitas y además, te cautivará esa aura de tranquilidad que produce. En la noche es todo lo que necesitas para poder relajarte y llorar a gusto. Es perfección, en todo aspecto.… Expand
  17. dsanoja
    Jun 18, 2020
    10
    aoty. literally nothing else to say this album is perfect. if you thought stranger in the alps couldn’t be topped this proves everyone wrong im so happy for her growth and her music
  18. twet
    Aug 28, 2020
    10
    essa mulher merece mais reconhecimento, sem duvidas um dos melhores do ano.
  19. Thirteen13
    Jan 7, 2022
    10
    If I could marry any album in the existence of music, I would marry this masterpiece
  20. coopburton
    Jun 25, 2020
    10
    Easily album of the year. This album makes my head explode and my whole body tingle. Indescribably perfect.
  21. i94
    Jun 19, 2020
    10
    Listening to this album brings to mind the title of Dave Eggers' memoir: 'A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.' Phoebe Bridgers' second solo album is the culmination of everything she's done since 2017's 'Stranger in the Alps'—it's simultaneously heart wrenching and liberating, haunting and electrifying, highly personal yet a universally lovable. The greatest skill she possesses isListening to this album brings to mind the title of Dave Eggers' memoir: 'A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.' Phoebe Bridgers' second solo album is the culmination of everything she's done since 2017's 'Stranger in the Alps'—it's simultaneously heart wrenching and liberating, haunting and electrifying, highly personal yet a universally lovable. The greatest skill she possesses is making you laugh before punching you in the gut, forcing the air out of your lungs and tears out of your ducts. 'Punisher' is supernatural: alien spaceships dart across the sky, a lonely ghost floats around a haunted house, birds are mauled by innocent dogs who can't comprehend what they've done. I was born in 1998—"Gen Z", if you will. People in my age cohort have grown up in a world shaped by 9/11, endless wars, economic ruin, government corruption, and now a life-altering pandemic. We're not used to things going right; we're used to the cruel twists of fate that life has unsparingly thrown our direction. No one captures the normalization of this despair quite like the artist currently known as Phoebe F*cking Bridgers.… Expand
  22. ztuxilef
    Jun 18, 2020
    10
    This is without any doubt one of the best albums of the year the crushing and emotional lyrics, the pretty quiet but powerful instrumentals and the incredible vocals make this album a masterpiece in my opinion.
    Favorite tracks: i know the end, chinese satellite, graceland too, i see you
  23. lautiabregu
    Jun 18, 2020
    10
    easily the album of the year. phoebe bridgers manages to reinvent her sound without abandoning her past completely. it's an album that sounds extremely recent and aware of our current political climate. "punisher" is phoebe bridgers' most cohesive work yet.
  24. beth123456
    Nov 5, 2020
    10
    consegui sentir cada palavra que phoebe escreveu... letras profundas, lindas, melancólicas! esse álbum se tornou muito especial para mim e sem dúvida é um dos melhores de 2020
  25. RebelDiamonds
    Jun 24, 2020
    10
    I hate giving anything a 10, but as a complete album, this deserves it. How someone can write songs that are simultaneously catchy, pleasant, poignant, deep and cleverly humorous is mystifying. There’s only one lyric on this album that kinda hits a sour note and sticks out like a sore thumb to me, which would make me give this a 9.5 if you could give a 9.5 on Meta. I’ve been racking myI hate giving anything a 10, but as a complete album, this deserves it. How someone can write songs that are simultaneously catchy, pleasant, poignant, deep and cleverly humorous is mystifying. There’s only one lyric on this album that kinda hits a sour note and sticks out like a sore thumb to me, which would make me give this a 9.5 if you could give a 9.5 on Meta. I’ve been racking my brain, trying to think of a better sophomore album and I’ve yet to think of one that can stack up start to finish with Punisher. For what it’s worth, I didn’t know Phoebe Bridgers existed until about 3 hours ago. So, I’m not writing this as a super fan, just my extremely raw initial response to an album that I can’t envision being considered anything other than a future classic. I feel like this album truly captures the complexity of emotions that involve being alive in the year 2020 and I don’t even understand why.… Expand
  26. leonardolyra
    Jul 2, 2020
    10
    Punisher is the perfect album for the dark times we're living. Sad and cathartic.
  27. Dryleaf
    Jun 18, 2020
    10
    this album has officially turned me into a sobbing mess and i live for it like i never thought i could
  28. autumnkingdom
    Jun 18, 2020
    10
    i feel so strongly about this album that i decided to make an account just to review it. that alone should be enough to explain how absolutely stunningly phenomenal this record is. it’s incredibly timely and although it feels very sad (much like its predecessor, stranger in the alps), it’s a different kind of sad. these aren’t originally my words, but i think it would be apt to articulatei feel so strongly about this album that i decided to make an account just to review it. that alone should be enough to explain how absolutely stunningly phenomenal this record is. it’s incredibly timely and although it feels very sad (much like its predecessor, stranger in the alps), it’s a different kind of sad. these aren’t originally my words, but i think it would be apt to articulate stranger in the alps as a “winter sadness” record, whereas punisher feels to me more like a “summer sadness” record. where stranger in the alps feels cold, this record feels hot.

    i also think every second of punisher feels just as rewarding as the highest highs of phoebe’s debut; she seems to have grown tremendously as a songwriter and it shows.

    my expectations for this record was very very high, and it still managed to blow me out of the water. probable album of the year, in my opinion.    … Expand
  29. jamesslong96
    Jun 19, 2020
    10
    Everything Phoebe Bridgers has just been culminating to this album and the ending track "I know the end". It brings together all of the achievements of Stranger in the alps, Boygenius and BOCC. A sublime album start to back with a variety of beautiful instrumentation
  30. tickleyou22
    Jun 19, 2020
    10
    Bizarrely good songwriting and production. It's an instant classic. Can't wait to keep listening to this forever.
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best Album of 2020
37
#37 Most Discussed Album of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. Sputnikmusic
    Sep 21, 2020
    100
    Punisher is a product of the times, but it’s also one that could have only been made by Phoebe Bridgers. She’s the only artist I can think of who has the ambition and elegance to tackle two crumbling worlds at the same time: the one in her mind, and the one outside her doorstep. It's an album characterized by its finality; a series of lasts in a time where preparing for the end is starting to feel less and less absurd.
    Read full review
  2. Punknews.org (Staff)
    Jun 24, 2020
    90
    What I think makes this album stand out just a bit more, edgier and whatnot, from her debut three years ago in Stranger in the Alps is there's a fearlessness to embrace the mainstream aesthetic just a bit more. Not something like Lana del Rey's style or that kind of thing, but a more contemporary, alternative and dare I say poppy sound.
    Read full review
  3. Glide Magazine
    Jun 22, 2020
    80
    Punisher is a worthy follow-up to Bridgers’ impressive debut, building upon her distinctive style of storytelling while adding a bit more flavor. Though mostly soft and measured, the poetic imagery and occasional bursts of dynamism keep the album from ever getting dull.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »