Boygenius Meet Lofty Expectations With Bold ‘The Record’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

At some point, the anticipation of a new album hits a boiling point. The excitement leading up to new music from your favorite band sends chills down a fan’s spine. At this point in the release process, the possibilities are endless and your imagination is running wild with expectations. Will they change their sound or continue to expand on what we already know? In the case of Boygenius and their debut LP, The Record, the anticipation has been at this boiling point since the illustrious trio of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus first joined forces in 2018. With each individual member perpetually evolving on their solo releases, Boygenius was left with a question mark next to it. This Friday (March 31), that punctuation changes to an exclamation point as the long-awaited follow-up hits our phones with a bold gust of self-awareness and mood-altering balladry. 

From the first moment you hit play you can already tell there has been major growth in the Boygenius camp. Track one acts as a precursor to the intense chemistry between the trio, an instrument-less harmony between Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus ushers in The Record to showcase this new approach to the band’s sound. They are acting as more of a unit compared to their 2018 record where the individual contributions were more prevalent. This time around, the three artists feel like more of a full band than a one-time supergroup. “Without You Without Them” is the minute-long intro that sets the tone for The Record, a collection of songs showcasing some unspoken bond between the three musicians, an understanding of everyone’s individual emotions, and filtering them into one clear message. 

That message is broken down into 12 pieces of music that capture the full spectrum of human emotion and filter them through a lens that views the world as it’s presented while still finding magic in the mundane. Each member of Boygenius is careful about their words, they understand the weight behind their statements and meticulously decide which memories to project over these sparse yet lush arrangements. The trio takes the idea of vulnerability and rearranges its parts to create a level of honesty that most would be fearful of. “Emily I’m Sorry” explores the many phases of regret while moments like “Revolution 0” explores the nuances of interpersonal relationships and the toll taken mentally when those relationships go sour. The Record has Boygenius funneling their experiences and passions into one, culminating in a vulnerable listening experience that draws from reality as much as it does those memories that return to us in bits and pieces, forcing us to fill in the blanks and create an untrustworthy vision of what was. 

While Bridgers, Dacus, and Baker are no strangers to melancholy, their sorrows find a bit of an edge on their new LP. Boygenius did not hold anything back on these arrangements, blistering guitar solos are greeted by arpeggiated acoustics with each element providing a nuanced tone to these songs. “Satanist” is driven by spurts of hard rock while “We’re In Love” dances in its ambiance with a reflective hesitation. These different explorations into tempos and moods are strung together by their creative ambition, Boygenius could’ve easily thrown together sections from each individual member. Instead, their individual strengths collide on these arrangements and produce blissful instrumentals that provide a platform for the trio’s attempts at making sense of the complex. 

Boygenius is composed of three incredibly strong songwriters, although that’s not how they maneuver through their debut album. The Record has the trio morphing into one, combining their creative filters and life experiences to create a brand-new approach to their individually timeless styles. The group is able to dissolve their egos in a way that blurs the lines between each individual contribution with their emotions building a similar relationship to the artists experiencing them, giving way to an album that redefines collaboration on a spiritual level. Bridgers, Dacus, and Baker all wear their hearts on their sleeves when writing their records, when those hearts combine into one we receive 12 poetically moving pieces of art that focus on emotions and environments most would attempt to ignore. The Record hit our speakers with high expectations, and not a single second let us down. 

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