Nearly five years after the release of their self-titled EP, the indie-rock supergroup boygenius’ debut album “the record” was released on Friday, March 31, to overwhelmingly positive reviews from websites such as Metacritic, NME, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork.
The group – composed of individual artists Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus – announced their return to making music together in January, and three months later, “the record” is a rightly-lauded, delightful release that celebrates the power of the supergroup.
Baker, Bridgers and Dacus are all incredible artists in their own right who only grow more powerful when they come together. While certain tracks showcase one artist’s personal style – “Satanist” exemplifies Baker’s love for guitar riffs, Bridger’s haunting vocals are the feature on “Revolution 0” and “True Blue” sounds like it could have been on Dacus’ last album – “the record” never suffers from feeling too much like one artist in particular. Instead, it’s the best parts of all three.
The album opens with “Without You Without Them,” an a cappella ditty sung by the trio and led by Dacus that serves as a thesis statement for the entire album. “I want to hear your story / And be a part of it,” they sing. “Who would I be without you, without them?” The central message of choosing to be in someone’s life and wanting them to choose to be in your own is continued throughout “the record,” which grapples with love, past relationships and the anxieties of baring your soul to another. “Without You Without Them” also takes the group from their past work into the present, as the harmonies are reminiscent of “Ketchum, ID,” the closing track on the “boygenius” EP.
The songs following the first track lead listeners into the rest of the album with an aforementioned taste of each of the member’s individual musical styles. “$20,” “Emily I’m Sorry” and “True Blue” were released as singles when the album was first announced and are undoubtedly some of the strongest songs on the record (along with the group-led “Not Strong Enough,” also released as a single in early March).
Following the singles, strong points include “Leonard Cohen,” a charming, perfectly-short track about the eponymous poet, “We’re In Love,” a heart-wrenching ballad from Dacus that pleads for acceptance from loved ones who have already given it, and “Anti-Curse,” a story of the time Baker nearly drowned at the beach but felt at peace being with her friends. Not one song in particular brings the album down – each track on “the record” is so satisfying that it’s almost underwhelming to not have one to dislike.
The members of boygenius have said they’re happiest making music together; in a Rolling Stone article released when the album was announced, Bridgers described the band’s formation as not being “like” falling in love but as falling in love itself. The album gives listeners a glimpse into the creative links and relationships between Baker, Bridgers and Dacus, and this chemistry ties the album together when a lack of cohesion could threaten to derail it.
There’s a tonal whiplash between songs like “We’re In Love” and “Anti-Curse,” though the rest tend to run together in a way that feels more smooth and deliberate. The love shown in their music culminates in the final track, “Letter To An Old Poet,” another callback to their EP which recreates the chorus of “Me & My Dog.” Instead of wanting to be emaciated, as they sing in the EP track, boygenius wants to be happy: a slightly more hopeful ending and wish for the future.
“The record” is available for digital or physical purchase or streaming.
In a perfect world, boygenius won’t wait another five years to release new music – “the record” proves the group creates beautiful music when they are together.
