Justin Bieber’s First Dad-Style Move? Wearing an R.E.M. T-Shirt

The second-most exciting development to come of Hailey and Justin Bieber expecting their first child? It’s that Justin Bieber Dad Style Watch can now officially commence.

In the couple’s first appearance since their sweet, Saint Laurent-laden pregnancy announcement on Instagram last week, the Biebers stuck to their usual mode. Which is to say: the ne plus ultra of dressed-up girlfriend meets dressed-down boyfriend. An expectant Hailey wore dark pleated trousers, Proenza Schouler loafers, and a white cropped T-shirt layered underneath a massive Balenciaga blazer with jutting shoulder pads. Justin wore a taupe beanie, tennis-ball-green Balenciaga sweat shorts, bulbous white foam clogs, and an astonishing vintage R.E.M. tee from the band’s 1989 Green World Tour. Mere weeks into incumbent fatherhood and JB has already accomplished his first public foray into the heady depths of dad rock. We like to think Michael Stipe would approve.

The band—or its social media team, anyway, given that the Georgia quartet amicably disbanded in 2011—indeed seems tickled by this development. “Nice t-shirt!” the official R.E.M. account wrote on X, alongside a paparazzi photo of Biebs in his T-shirt.

R.E.M. also reshared the Daily Mail’s post about the Biebers’ pap walk to their Instagram story, embellishing the image with an animated arrow pointing towards the logo and a snippet of the band’s 1987 song “Fireplace,” whose lyrics felt dually poignant: “Crazy, crazy world / Crazy, crazy times.”

These are crazy times! Congratulations all around.