KATSEYE Drop 3rd EP as Phoebe Bridgers Returns With First Album in 6 Years

Q: Why did Phoebe Bridgers enforce a strict no-phone policy for her highly anticipated comeback tour?

Phoebe Bridgers imposed the no-phone policy to make the shows feel intimate and present, while also stopping recordings and online circulation of unreleased material. Coverage around her pop-up concerts and the *Lost Weekend* rollout shows that Bridgers had been asking fans not to film new songs or post lyrics online. Even so, lyrics and details were still spreading on sites like Reddit and Genius. Extending the ban to the full comeback tour, with phones locked in Yondr pouches, was meant to protect that boundary and keep the performances from immediately becoming internet content. The policy also fit the tone of the project. *Lost Weekend* draws on grief, heartbreak and personal upheaval, and Bridgers has long been associated with emotionally exposed live performances. Reports from her small phone-free shows said the atmosphere felt unusually focused, with audiences more engaged and less distracted by screens. Promoters and tour materials also framed it as a way to create a better viewing experience for everyone, reducing blocked sightlines and encouraging fans to stay in the moment rather than record. In short, the rule served both artistic and practical aims: preserving vulnerability, limiting spoilers, and making the concerts feel more communal and less mediated by phones.

Q: What hidden trademark dispute forced Phoebe Bridgers to fold her beloved Saddest Factory label into Dead Oceans?

It was a trademark fight over the name “Saddest Factory.” Phoebe Bridgers’ imprint was folded into Dead Oceans after another act, a Michigan-based duo/band also using the name Saddest Factory, challenged her trademark claim. Publicly, Bridgers’ label said only that it was changing course “due to a trademark dispute around the label’s name.” Reporting tied the dispute to musician Lucas R. Schurkamp, who argued that he had earlier common-law rights to “Saddest Factory” through his own project and affiliated label. USPTO records cited in coverage said Bridgers’ key trademark application for recorded music was ultimately abandoned after a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decision. That appears to be the “hidden” part of the dispute: the label’s statement did not spell out the opposing party, but subsequent reporting connected it to Schurkamp’s prior use of the name dating back years before Bridgers launched her imprint in 2020. As a result, Saddest Factory did not relaunch under a new standalone name. Instead, future releases were moved under the Dead Oceans banner, with the Saddest Factory logo retained alongside Dead Oceans branding to signal continued involvement.

3 articles · Updated · Official Charts Company · Aug 14

KATSEYE led this week’s release slate with third EP WILD, pairing earlier hits PINKY UP and Animal with new tracks including focus song Hootie Frutti.
Phoebe Bridgers also returned with Lost Weekend, her third solo album and first since 2020’s Punisher, expanding her intimate songwriting into a bigger sonic palette.
The Script re-entered with eighth studio album A User’s Guide To Being Human, while Jungle released fifth album Sunshine and Ayra Starr unveiled third album Starrgirl.
The roundup also stretched beyond albums: 5 Seconds of Summer issued Evolve (CLUBSOS VOL. 1), Troye Sivan launched his next era with She’s The Best, and WayV returned with Vision Wings.