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As their band name suggests, the musical mind behind Boygenius is very smart.
The indie rock trio released their debut album, The Record, on March 31, and have already received massive critical acclaim from outlets like Pitchfork and Rolling Stone.
The group consists of noted indie rock songwriters Julian Baker, Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers. They released his EP titled Self in 2018 and have continued to grow ever since, gaining more and more fans with their respective careers before returning to the band.
The track list ranges from rock to folk to shoegaze. But the best part of the album is definitely the lyrics. This is not surprising, as each member of Boygenius is known for their songwriting abilities above all else.
The album opens with a warm a cappella ballad titled “With You Without Them,” followed by a Baker-led rock song titled “$20.” “$20” concludes with an explosive three-part melody by the singer with Bridgers screaming.
For the most part, the album follows a pattern in which the group sings with equal presence from each of the three members. It then proceeds to her three individual songs, each lead by her, while the other two of her harmonize, then repeat the process.
Boygenius is notorious for mixed emotions. They transcend “sad girl music” and battle stereotypes with melodically complex songs like “Not Strong Enough,” “$20,” and “Satanist.” “the record” examines the complex relationships between the members themselves and their members and others.
Notoriously, the members don’t sing about one specific emotion in each song. Instead, the singer-songwriter contains personal anecdotes and a roller coaster of emotions. In “True Blue,” Dacus details a complex and seemingly positive relationship that has overcome past cheating.
The boys seem to have a philosophy of writing about their experiences in detail and expecting the audience to reinterpret them in ways that hold personal meaning. It seems to be dedicated to the members.
I would argue that this kind of writing is unnecessary on the album as well. In some cases, the message is so vague that it leaves the listener questioning.
The most exciting part of the album is definitely its ending. The final song, “Letter to an Old Poet,” recreates one of his most beloved songs from his EP entitled “Me & My Dog.” Bridgers calls “Letter to an Old Poet” a sequel to the song on his EP because the melody is almost identical. Still, the song has a much softer, melancholic sound.
In it, the members swap guitars for a heavy-sounding, brooding-sounding piano. The song’s final line is a call to happiness that doesn’t yet exist, reflecting what it means to move on from a past relationship.
“I want to be happy,” sings Bridgers. This is in contrast to the “I wanna be emaciated” lyric from “Me & My Dog”.
The final line of the song reads, “I can’t feel it yet/But I’m waiting.”
The vinyl version of “Record” skips in the “Letter to the Old Poet” finale, repeating the final seconds of the song forever until the record is removed from the turntable. This is a deliberate movement of the band and its goods. team. It indicates a permanent stop. The notes never resolve and the track skips are dissonant as the vocalist repeats the word “waiting”.
The conclusion is emblematic of Boygenius as an LP and band. The song chronicles emotional idiosyncrasies, but those emotions change over time and persist in different ways.
As for the Boygenius members themselves, the ending seems to represent their bond as a band. With two matching tattoos each, it’s inevitable that their story isn’t quite over.And I’m certainly happy with that.
Favorite track:
“Cool About It”, “Revolution 0”, “Letter to an Old Poet”
Rating: 8.5/10
Kaelyn New is a news editor. Follow her on her Twitter: @kaelyn_new.
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