As someone who’s followed both the music and the Instagram of ‘beabadoobee’ (born Bea Kristi) for quite some time now, I can’t help but get excited whenever she releases something new. At only 18 years of age, Bea’s recent outbreak onto the music scene is enough to make most people feel at least somewhat inadequate. The release of her first EP, Patched Up, in 2018 was met with great success, with people tuning in to listen from across the globe, and so expectations for its successor were high to say the least.

If you’re not a fan of moderately melodramatic teen-grunge, then Loveworm won’t be for you. But for anyone looking for an escape to the world of Skins then get listening. Production this time around is undeniably better, yet each of the tracks still manages to maintain that ‘bedroom recording’ feel (a beabadoobee trademark). It is also very pleasing to hear the development in instrumentation that Bea’s music is making. The simple love song ‘Coffee’, which first brought her public attention, used just a simple acoustic guitar, miles away from the Sonic Youth-esque ‘Apple Cider’, which has a crunchy electric-guitar solo to die for. I also can’t help but fall in love with ‘Soren’, a song dedicated to the singer’s boyfriend and encapsulating teenage love with perfect sweetness and slight existentialism.

Loveworm really is quite impressive for someone who is only 18 years old. Bea has an undoubtedly bright future ahead of her, and I personally can’t wait to see how she perfects her craft further.

[4/5 Stars]