Beginners

Newly signed to Anti- Records, Christian Lee Hutson releases his new album Beginners—produced by Phoebe Bridgers. On "Lose This Number," featuring Phoebe on backing vocals, Hutson reveals one of his greatest strengths as a songwriter: a rare ability to infuse his lyrics with myriad idiosyncratic detail, yet leave the narrative slippery enough for the listener to fill in their own meaning.

Throughout the song, his storytelling is threaded with incisive turns of phrase (e.g., “It’s like I was born on the back of a bullet/With your name written on it”). On Beginners, Hutson embeds every lyric with his most intimate self-dialogue, sharing painful confessions and private jokes, imagined conversations and elaborate daydreams. The album spotlights a nuanced songcraft and understated candor that all but erases the distance between feeling and expression.

Throughout this collection of songs, Hutson ultimately speaks an illuminating truth about regret and forgiveness and the endless confusion in growing up. Hutson—who also co-wrote a song on the 2018 boygenius EP and two on the 2019 Better Oblivion Community Center LP—and Bridgers recorded Beginners at L.A.’s legendary Sound City Studios, but purposely preserved the homespun quality of his cell-phone-recorded demos.

The album mines its subtle textures from Hutson’s warm vocals and graceful guitar work, and also unfolds flashes of sonic brilliance achieved with the help of its guest musicians - including Bridgers herself, as well as Walcott (who created all the string arrangements for the album, in addition to playing trumpet).