Trying to be cool about boygenius’ new album
Boygenius has established itself as an icon of the indie music scene. The musical union of solo artists Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus in their 2018 self-titled EP immediately demonstrated the group’s ability to produce beautifully cohesive songs ranging from simple, reserved acoustic melodies to intense, cathartic rock anthems. Building upon the themes presented in their first full-length album released in March, Boygenius’ Oct. EP “The Rest” continues their tradition of melancholic melodies that emphasize a sense of community and love.
One recurring motif particularly highlighted in “the rest” is the parallel between extraterrestrial occurrences and daily life on Earth. The EP opens and closes with Baker’s vocals on tracks “Black Hole” and “Powers.” From the start of the first song, echoing rhythms and mentions of stargazing create an almost science-fiction-like atmosphere. The latter song uses these themes to display the bond between the members of Boygenius, as the lyrics compare their musical alliance to the rarity of particles connecting in a supercollider.
“The force of our impact, the fission / The hum of our contact, the sound of our collisions,” Baker sings.
Harrison Whitford / The New York Times
Prior to the formation of the band, each Boygenius member had experience with success in the music industry, releasing critically acclaimed independent albums in a niche, woman-led indie vein of music that caused the artists to be paralleled on playlists. The supportive environment that the three artists foster between themselves is featured as a theme throughout each of the collections the group has produced. Track “True Blue” from “The Record” represents this in its music video depicting Dacus painting a room in a house, assisted by Baker and Bridgers.
“It feels good to be known so well / I can’t hide from you like I hide from myself,” Dacus sings.
Boygenius concluded their Apr. tour on Oct. 31 at the Hollywood Bowl. Dressed as the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the group performed songs from all three of their releases. Individual songs, such as Bridgers’ “Motion Sickness” from her independent album “Stranger in the Alps’’ and Dacus’ “Night Shift” off her “Historian” album were also highlighted. The Hollywood Bowl was illuminated with rainbow colors during “Ketchum, ID” to reference the Pride flag; the last song of the night, “Salt in the Wound,” featured Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus kissing each other onstage. All three women have discussed the struggles they’ve had growing up queer in a heteronormative society; in publicly embracing this topic, Boygenius not only creates a safe space amongst themselves, but lends visibility to the LGBTQ+ community and queer love as well. Though their songs may be sad, their lyrics riddled with angst, Boygenius’ message transcends: Love exists. Love is all-encompassing, and love will prevail.