Stranger in the Alps

Stranger in the Alps is the debut studio album by American musician Phoebe Bridgers, released on September 22, 2017 by Dead Oceans.

Stranger in the Alps
Studio album by Phoebe Bridgers
Released	September 22, 2017
Studio	Zeitgeist, Los Angeles, California
Genre	Indie rock indie folk[1]
Length	44:15
Label	Dead Oceans
Producer	Tony Berg Ethan Gruska
Phoebe Bridgers chronology
Killer (2015) Stranger in the Alps (2017) Boygenius (2018)
Singles from Stranger in the Alps
"Killer" Released: April 28, 2015 "Smoke Signals" Released: January 9, 2017 "Motion Sickness" Released: July 18, 2017 "Funeral" Released: September 12, 2017

Background and recording

Stranger in the Alps was produced by Tony Berg and Ethan Gruska.^[2] Bridgers recorded the album in between tours over 2016 at Berg's studio in Brentwood, Los Angeles.^[3] The album's title is a reference to the edited-for-TV version of the film The Big Lebowski, which changed Walter Sobchak's (John Goodman) line "Do you see what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass?" to "Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?"^[4] Bridgers opted to use the phrase because she found it to be "kind of poetic on accident".^[5][6]

Bridgers signed a recording contract with Dead Oceans in June 2017,^[7] and the album was scheduled for release on September 22.^[8] The album received a limited edition 5th anniversary galaxy colored vinyl pressing on September 22, 2022.^[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.8/10[10]
Metacritic	82/100[11]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
The A.V. Club	A[13]
Consequence of Sound	A−[14]
Exclaim!	9/10[15]
The Irish Times	[16]
Mojo	[17]
NME	[18]
Pitchfork	7.0/10[19]
Q	[20]
Uncut	6/10[21]

Stranger in the Alps received acclaim from critics; review aggregator Metacritic gave the album a weighted average score of 82/100 based on 16 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".^[11]

Josh Modell of The A.V. Club gave the album a perfect score, saying, "Stranger in the Alps alchemizes sorrow into redemptive beauty. It's never about wallowing, but about slowly moving through it. That difference, played out over some incredible, wise-beyond-her-years songwriting, makes it one of the best albums of the year."^[13] Writing for Pitchfork, Sam Sodomsky said that the album is "a collection of songs about intimacy, documenting how our relationships affect the way we view ourselves and interact with others... Bridgers' voice has a breezy, conversational flutter [that] sounds best when she double-tracks it in layers of light falsetto", rating the album 7.0/10.^[19]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Smoke Signals"	Phoebe Bridgers Marshall Vore	5:24
2.	"Motion Sickness"	Bridgers Vore	3:49
3.	"Funeral"	Bridgers	3:52
4.	"Demi Moore"	Bridgers Vore Harrison Whitford	3:18
5.	"Scott Street"	Bridgers Vore	5:05
6.	"Killer"	Bridgers	3:09
7.	"Georgia"	Bridgers	4:07
8.	"Chelsea"	Bridgers	4:42
9.	"Would You Rather"	Bridgers Vore Tony Berg	3:19
10.	"You Missed My Heart"	Mark Kozelek Jimmy LaValle	6:57
11.	"Smoke Signals (Reprise)"	Bridgers Vore	0:33
Total length:			44:15

Deluxe digital reissue^[22]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"It'll All Work Out"	Tom Petty	2:46
13.	"Motion Sickness" (demo)	Bridgers Vore	4:24
Total length:			51:25

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.^[23]

Musicians Phoebe Bridgers – vocals, guitar, banjo Tony Berg – guitar, keyboards John Doe – vocals Ethan Gruska – keyboards, piano, drums, percussion, drum programming, guitar, bass, baritone guitar, bandura, jet engine, "that incessant toe tapping" Greg Leisz – pedal steel guitar Rob Moose – strings Gabe Noel – cello, bass Conor Oberst – vocals Daniel Rhine – upright bass Gabe Witcher – violin Marshall Vore – drums, percussion, vocals Harrison Whitford – guitar

Production Tony Berg – production, recording Ethan Gruska – production Mike Mogis – mixing Bob Ludwig – mastering Rob Moose – string arrangement Artwork Angela Deane – artwork Elaine Gandola – photography Frank W. Ockenfels III – photography Bridgers' mother – photography Nathaniel David Utesch – layout

Charts

Chart performance for Stranger in the Alps

Chart (2017–2022)	Peak position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[24]	97
UK Americana Albums (OCC)[25]	5
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[26]	84
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[27]	23
US Billboard 200[28]	82
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[29]	13
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[30]	6
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[31]	13
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[32]	10
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[33]	4

Certifications

Certifications for Stranger in the Alps

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[34]	Gold	100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[35]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Stranger in the Alps – Phoebe Bridgers". AllMusic. September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
2. Trefor, Cai (August 9, 2018). "The making of Stranger In The Alps: Phoebe Bridgers interviewed". Gigwise. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
3. "Phoebe Bridgers: Stranger In The Alps". Dead Oceans. September 22, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
4. Cosores, Philip (September 25, 2017). "Phoebe Bridgers on the Places That Inspired Her Tender Indie Rock". Bandcamp Daily. Bandcamp. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
5. Meredith, Kyle (October 24, 2017). "Phoebe Bridgers on poetry, directness, and The Big Lebowski". Louisville Public Media. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
6. Bridgers, Phoebe (October 26, 2017). "Kyle Meredith with... Phoebe Bridgers" (Interview). Interviewed by Kyle Meredith. Louisville Public Media. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
7. Sacher, Andrew (June 6, 2017). "Phoebe Bridgers signs to Dead Oceans for debut LP, touring with Conor Oberst". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
8. "Phoebe Bridgers announces debut album, 'Stranger in the Alps'". DIY. July 18, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
9. "Stranger in the Alps (5th Anniversary Edition) - Phoebe Bridgers". Secretly Store. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
10. "Stranger In The Alps by Phoebe Bridgers reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
11. "Reviews and Tracks for Stranger in the Alps by Phoebe Bridgers". Metacritic. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
12. Monger, James Christopher. "Stranger in the Alps – Phoebe Bridgers". AllMusic. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
13. Modell, Josh (September 27, 2017). "One of this year's best debut albums is also one of its saddest". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
14. Bloom, Andrew (September 21, 2017). "Phoebe Bridgers – Stranger in the Alps". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
15. Gee, Chris (September 20, 2017). "Phoebe Bridgers: Stranger in the Alps". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
16. Breen, Joe (October 6, 2017). "Phoebe Bridgers review: A vulnerable and vibrant voice". The Irish Times. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
17. "Phoebe Bridgers: Stranger in the Alps". Mojo. No. 288. November 2017. p. 103.
18. Cooper, Leonie (September 21, 2017). "Phoebe Bridgers – 'Strangers In The Alps' Review". NME. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
19. Sodomsky, Sam (September 23, 2017). "Phoebe Bridgers: Stranger in the Alps". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
20. Barton, Laura (December 2017). "Phoebe Bridgers: Stranger in the Alps". Q. No. 379. p. 102.
21. Wallace, Wyndham (October 2017). "Phoebe Bridgers: Stranger in the Alps". Uncut. No. 245. p. 24.
22. "Phoebe Bridgers' deluxe digital reissue of 'Strangers in the Alps' out now". Dead Oceans. February 10, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
23. Bridgers, Phoebe (2017). Stranger in the Alps (Liner notes). Dead Oceans. DOC142.
24. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
25. "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
26. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
27. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50 - 29 September 2017". Official Charts. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
28. "Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
29. "Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
30. "Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
31. "Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
32. "Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
33. "Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
34. "British album certifications – Phoebe Bridgers – Stranger in the Alps". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
35. "American album certifications – Phoebe Bridgers – Stranger in the Alps". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 23, 2024.