Phoebe Bridgers originally titled her new single “ICU,” but upon its release on Tuesday, she’s changed it to “I See You,” due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, or, as she explains, “*gestures at entire world*.”
The track opens with a tumultuous, skittering intro as Bridgers’ vocals enter: “I’ve been playing dead my whole life/And I get this feeling whenever I feel good, it will be the last time.” In a later verse, she sings over a mellotron, “I used to light you up/Now I can’t even get you to play the drums/’Cause I don’t know what I want, until I fuck it up.”
Bridgers claims that “I See You” is about her ex-boyfriend/drummer Marshall Vore, who plays on the track and co-wrote it. “It’s about my breakup with my drummer,” she said. “We dated for a few years, made music every day, and were extremely co-dependent. We became like family to each other, so our breakup was extremely tough. But if this tells you anything about our relationship, we wrote this song together, just like everything else.”
“I See You” is off of Bridgers’ upcoming LP, Punisher, out June 19th. The track follows the singles “Kyoto” and “Garden Song.” The former arrived with a video shot on a green screen in Los Angeles, and featured Bridgers flying across Japan in a skeleton suit.
Bridgers was originally scheduled to support the 1975 on tour this summer, but due to the pandemic she’ll be livestreaming performances from her home instead. The virtual tour launches in her kitchen on May 26th, and will conclude in her bed on June 6th.
Phoebe Bridgers Virtual World Tour Dates
May 26th — Kitchen, w/ Hooligan Magazine, 8 p.m E.T.
May 28th — Bathroom, w/ Noisey/Vice, 8 p.m. E.T.
June 4th — Bed, w/ DIY Magazine, 7 p.m. U.K. time
June 6th — Bed, TBD