Indie supergroup Boygenius released their debut album on March 31st, entitled “the record”. Their album debuted on UK charts at number one, they have just performed at Coachella, and with a tour upcoming, Boygenius are set to take on the world and everyone is entirely “Cool About It”.

 

Comprising of singers Phoebe Bridgers (“Scott Street”, “Motion Sickness”, “I Know The End”), Lucy Dacus (“Night Shift”, “Hot & Heavy”, “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore”) and Julien Baker (“Appointments”, “Faith Healer”, “Favor”), Boygenius immediately had a cornucopia of talent and ability when it came to music and The Record was only testament to this fact. Opening with an acapella song entitled “Without Them Without You”, the raw harmonies executed by the three singers are simultaneously comforting and haunting. Their ingeniousness continues to shine through on the album with tracks such as “$20” and “Emily, I’m Sorry” which is an incredibly self-aware and apologetic song regarding Bridgers’ past relationship with Emily Bannon.

 

On reaching “True Blue”, the album begins to focus even more on the friendship shared by the three singers, which is a vital theme that runs throughout the record and behind Boygenius itself, as well. Track 10 especially showcases the love they have for each other, fittingly named “We’re In Love”. It opens with Dacus singing solo with the lines “You could absolutely break my heart,/ That’s how I know that we’re in love”. The song speaks of an unconditional, all-giving love that is special and irreplaceable which is the type of love that each member of the band shows to one another. In the song, Dacus admits to having insecurities within the relationship but she knows that the other person is understanding of this and that she is truly safe with them.

 

Despite all of this, one of the most tangible references within this album can be found in the final track, “Letter To An Old Poet”. The song is about having healed from a relationship that was not beneficial and realising that you are better than the person who hurt you and are better off without them. However, the singers make a reference to a song released on their debut EP, boygenius, “Me & My Dog”. In “Me & My Dog”, the band sings the lyrics, “I want to be emaciated/ I wanna hear one song without thinking of you/ I wish I was on a spaceship/ Just me and my dog and an impossible view”; they use the same melody for in “Letter To An Old Poet” so that the listener recalls “Me & My Dog” but due to the healing they have done from the toxic relationship, the lyrics have now changed to “I want to be happy, I’m ready/ To walk into my room without looking for you/ I’ll go up to the top of the building/ And remember my dog when I see the full moon”. 

 

The ingeniousness shown by Boygenius is palpable and it is fair to say that whatever projects they undertake next will be an honour to witness and experience.