Phoebe Bridgers really knows how to make something sound like an emotional breakdown, doesn’t she?

“On Video” is Phoebe Bridgers’ song for the end credits of Primetime, the new A24 film about Chris Hansen and To Catch a Predator, starring Robert Pattinson. Phoebe is also in the film, playing one of the show’s decoys.

This song can be best described as unsettling. The underlying theme is surveillance. The chorus begins with Phoebe saying that everything has been caught “on video.” The production includes some eerie vocals and sound effects in the background that remind me of a horror movie’s soundscape. The chorus has roaring guitars, loud drums, and more auxiliary sounds. It’s overwhelming in the best way. It has the energy of someone screaming to get the nervous breakdown out of their system.

The lyrics are dark. The person being observed is innocent, perhaps a child. She’s making snow angels, having a birthday party, and getting her face painted, and the speaker has it all on video. It’s a bold angle for a song, and Phoebe goes there. From what I’ve read about Primetime, a lot of it makes your skin crawl, and this song is definitely no exception.

Phoebe Bridgers is brilliant at making songs that sound like catharsis, and this is that, but you’ll also probably leave too unsettled to have actually achieved the relaxation associated with the end of catharsis. It’s more of a giant scream. It is absolute, unnerving perfection.

Emma Platt