You can tell from the soundtrack of Apple TV’s new comedy series Shrinking that it’s enough to ruin a person. For starters, the theme song “Frightening Fishes” is by the one and only Ben Gibbard, known for his sad music in Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service. Now, as per Stereogum, there’s a new scene involving a beloved Phoebe Bridgers song that many fans can definitely relate to.
Embarking on a cathartic bike ride, the main character Jimmy (played by Jason Segel) puts on “I Know The End” by Bridgers, the explosive closer to her critically acclaimed album Punisher. He’s weeping by the end of the track, so emotional that he yells out, “F*ck you, Phoebe Bridgers!” and then accidentally rides straight into an open car door and flips off his bike.
In our 2020 interview with Bridgers about Punisher, she discussed writing that song, “It’s my first end of the world song,” she added, “Conor Oberst and I were joking about how he’s been writing apocalyptic songs since the beginning of time. And now his material’s going to feel like old news.”
Bridgers continued, “I was imagining a giant tornado or California separating from the rest of the United States. It definitely feels relevant, but in my brain, it was just an invention.”
Where did she get the inspiration from, Bridgers revealed, “I am rereading Oryx And Crake, the Margaret Atwood story where she predicted the pandemic. She calls it a ‘waterless flood.’ God, that book is insane.”
Watch the Shrinking scene above.