boygenius – the record

Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus treat us to a full-length record and it’s everything a debut album should be: exploratory, explosive and full of heart

Album Review by Katie Cutforth | 29 Mar 2023
  • boygenius – the record
Album title: the record
Artist: boygenius
Label: Interscope / Polydor
Release date: 31 Mar

boygenius is the stuff of indie music fans’ dreams, bringing together three modern icons of the genre: Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers. Each of them is a force in their own right, but the trio’s artistic alchemy brings out some of the best in each of them while giving rise to something entirely different – something electric.

The group tested the waters of collaboration back in 2018 with a self-titled debut EP, which dabbled in different styles and left us wanting more. Now they have rejoined forces to produce a full-length LP, which truly unleashes the potential of this remarkable group. 

the record is everything a debut album should be: exploratory, explosive and full of heart. At times it seems they're almost showing off with the breadth of their songwriting; each of the album’s 12 tracks comes as somewhat of a surprise, from the opening a capella composition Without You Without Them, to tender (anti)lovesongs in Revolution 0 and We’re in Love, to heavy, nonchalant bangers like Satanist and $20. There's an almost uncontainable energy in much of the music, that is surely inevitable when three wildly talented songwriters assemble. 

Cool About It is a highlight: a picked guitar folk song reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel, with mellifluous harmonies and stunning sonic building to match. It perfectly displays the collective power of boygenius, the three distinct voices telling their own painful story while gradually layering to a devastatingly beautiful conclusion.

The record is concluded with Letter to an Old Poet, which feels like a sad reprise of Me & My Dog from their first EP. ‘I can’t feel it yet / But I’m winning’, they sing in harmony at the end, their voices rising to noise before trickling out. This moment is cathartic, bringing them full circle – but it also feels open-ended. The optimists among us will dare to believe this isn’t the last we’ve heard from boygenius. What a time to be alive.

Listen to: Not Strong Enough, Cool About It, Anti-Curse

http://xboygeniusx.com