Beth Gibbons New Musical – Lives Outgrown

Beth Gibbons has perfected the art of embracing stillness as a profound expression. Remember her gripping performances with Portishead? She clung to the microphone, her voice dripping with a profound sense of melancholy. Since those days, her musical offerings have arrived at a pace that could challenge the slow crawl of a snail. But with each passing year of quiet, her reputation has only swelled. Following the release of Portishead’s Third in 2008, Gibbons embarked on a journey marked by rare public appearances. She lent her voice to Górecki’s Symphony No. 3 with the Polish National Radio Symphony, made a notable feature on Kendrick Lamar’s “Mother I Sober,” and otherwise, she remained elusive. Gibbons does only what she deems necessary, and she does it on her own timeline. Thus, the unveiling of Lives Outgrown feels like a momentous event.

So, what prompted Gibbons to emerge from her cocoon for Lives Outgrown, and why now? "People started dying," she remarked. Three decades after Portishead's emergence, she reintroduces herself with an album inspired by farewells, steeped in the wisdom that comes from retrospection. "When you’re young, you never know the endings, you don’t know how it’s going to pan out," she reflects. Lives Outgrown dances between past, present, and future, with Gibbons mining her personal history for inspiration while deliberately sidestepping the sonic palette that endeared Portishead to legions of fans.

Stylistically, Lives Outgrown flirts with folk, its acoustic guitars and strings evoking pastoral imagery. Yet, it feels denser, louder, more exploratory—as if stumbling upon a junkyard deep in the woods. Unconventional textures abound: producer James Ford strikes piano strings with metal spoons on “Tell Me Who You Are Today,” while on another track, he and Gibbons twirl whirly tubes overhead, seeking the perfect eerie tone...

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