boygenius releases debut album ‘the record’ – The Vanderbilt Hustler

Comparing the lyrics from the Boygenius EP with those from the more recent album reveals a story of growth and friendship.

I told myself I wasn’t going to write about “records” because I wanted to enjoy Boygenius’ debut album without analyzing it. But as I listened to the album on repeat on Thursday nights and Fridays, no Please write this work. This record was a remarkable story about healing and friendship, and I knew I needed to hear it and share it with others. It can be easy to get trapped in and swirl with feelings of being difficult or different. This album is a reminder to look to the people around us and hold on tight.

Boygenius, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacas, Julian BakerThe group recorded their self-titled EP over four days in Los Angeles in 2018 after meeting and becoming close friends while on tour with Baker. During this time, the group did not know each other for long, but it was clear that their different musical styles had merged into similar sentiments. It is an allusion to men who have been told they are geniuses while women are taught to keep quiet.

Their EP features six songs and centers around feelings of sadness and loneliness. Rather than one artist leading the way, each member shines and speaks out to the fore. Dacus leads “Bite the Hand” and “Salt In the Wound” in a smooth contralto voice, which touches on fear of vulnerability and bruising by a lover. Baker brings her delicate yet soaring voice on “Stay Down” and “Souvenir” around her constant feelings of being pushed down, hopeless and unloved. Finally, Bridgers pilots “Ketchum, ID” and “Me & My Dog.” “Ketchum, I.D.” talks about feeling sluggish, while “Me & My Dog” revolves around feeling overwhelmed and unable to get over someone. Combining their impressive lyrical skills with their unique individual styles, the EP creates a kind of spellbinding magic. The song is undeniably sad, but it also offers listeners solace by narrating specific emotions and moments that are painfully relatable.

The charm of boygenius is the enchanting sound produced by the singing voices of the three members. In the years since the EP’s release, each member has continued to release their own music and tours, including Dacus’ album ‘Home Video’, Baker’s ‘Little Oblivions’ and Briger’s ‘Punisher’. As independent artists, all three members are wildly successful and have crafted their own sounds. However, boygenius fans couldn’t help but dream of the band releasing more music. The dream has finally become a reality.

Rumors began circulating about the boygenius reunion after they were spotted together at a November 2022 photo shoot. On January 18, 2023, Bandmate revealed that “Record” will be released on his March 31st, releasing her three songs from the album.

Perhaps the most striking thing about this group is their camaraderie. Not only is the band a talented supergroup in charge of the rock scene, but the three members are also close friends and rely on their relationship and time spent together to guide their songwriting. I heard “Record” and it’s definitely about the healing of being known and loved, established through their close friendship. Although centered around the emotions of , “Record” is a triumph of being understood.

The album opens with beautiful harmonies led by Dacus on “Without You Without Them”. The three voices blend seamlessly to tell a story of constant connection with their predecessors and those around them, ending with the question, “Without you, without them, who would I be?” It concludes with lyrics. After setting the scene for the album about the importance of friendship and relationships, Dacus takes the lead on “We’re in Love.” Knife / We are not exchanging blood. The song touches on being intimate with someone, and the idea of ​​laying down the knife contrasts with Dacas’ words in “Salt in the Wound.” Dacus also leads “True Blue,” which feels like a response to the EP’s “Bite the Hand.” “Bite the Hand” centers around a sense of distance, as Dacus sings “I can’t love you how you want to” on repeat. “True Blue” reads, “When I’m with you, remember who I am/Your love is tough, your love is tested, true blue.”

Dax isn’t the only one on a healing journey with The Record. Baker, who has spoken candidly about his experiences with obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression, has this kind of cathartic growth on the album. On her EP, “Souvenir,” she sings the lines “Twenty bucks for souvenirs” and “When I put a hole in my skull/Do you hate what you see?” / As I do. The song “$20”, reminiscent of the lyrics of “Souvenir”, features Baker screaming and singing about the reckless emotions he shares in his youth experience. Her journey continues with the song “Anti-Curse.” The song talks about her first time going to the beach, reconciling with death, and “swimming back”. Her swimming concept immediately reminded me of the song she led on her EP Stay Down. The song expresses the feeling of drowning — “Put me down in the water/Push me down like a sinner/And I’ll never get up” also. When boygenius was writing “the record” they took Baker to the beach for the first time. “Stay Down” was a curse that forced you to stay in the water, while “Anti-Curse” is a remedy.

Album closing, “Letter To An Old Poet,” is the most obvious reaction to the debut EP. Longtime Vanderbilt Pharbs may recognize the song when Bridgers performed it at his VIBES via his Zoom. performance Named by VPB in 2021. When Bridgers sang an earlier version of the song to Vanderbilt students, she titled it “Me & My Dog 2”. Simply put, “Letter To An Old Poet” responds to “Me & My Dog.” On “Me & My Dog,” Bridgers exclaims, “I want to be emaciated/I just want to hear one song without thinking about you/Wish I was on a spaceship/Impossible scenery just me and my dog.” In “Letters to the Old Poet,” Bridgers writes, “I want to be happy/I’m ready to go into my room without looking for you/Go to the top of our building/And my When I see a full moon, it’s a dog.” The lyrics tell the story of growing up from being obsessed with people to wanting to be happy. In the EP, she mentions that she’s always thinking of someone. singing, but on the album she’s ready to move forward.

“The Record” brings growth and healing to each member. But this kind of healing doesn’t come without painful vulnerability. On “Cool About It,” Bridgers said, “Once upon a time I took your pills to see what they were like/And now I act like I can’t read your mind. You have to,’ and alludes to the feeling that you know someone very well…you can tell when they’re lying. But this kind of openness is not for nothing. Rather, the pain of knowing someone almost too well is one of the most rewarding human experiences. , knowing someone so well that the feeling of being able to see their cracks and the light shining through them is spoken of. The song concludes with beautiful harmonies.

“The Record” feels grown-up — a realization that humans rely on each other and that all the pain of being fully known is worth it for the joys found in friendship. There are so many great masterpieces on this album, and many other important references, but at the core of this album is the sense of belonging that the formation of Boygenius brought to each member of the group. I can’t help but feel that there is. If Boygenius’ debut EP was a kind of solace in the loneliness shared within the group, “Record” feels like love. If the EP vacantly sings the loneliness of Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus, “Record” is the overwhelming answer.