Review: Boygenius’ ‘The Record’ Brings Diaristic Folk-Pop Mainstream

BY KAT DOBAY

Boygenius – the supergroup of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus – reunited to release their debut album, The Record. Each of these illustrious songwriters is known for their diaristic folk-pop. Bridgers is recognized for her intimate lyrics that cut close to the bone for the sake of personal honesty. Similarly, Baker writes bleak lyrics with emotional clarity. Dacus does the same with her witty sense of humor. What these songwriters have in common is the ability to write about universal emotional experiences through deeply personal moments. 

The sad girl trifecta met when they crossed paths in the indie-rock scene in the 2010s. In 2016, when Bridgers and Dacus were opening for Baker at a show in Washington, D.C., the trio bonded over their mutual love for classical literature, poetry, and writing. They formed a close friendship and soon a band, releasing their self-titled debut EP in 2018 via Matador Records. The first project, which received critical acclaim, was cut over four days.

In the five years that the band was apart, they had enough time to wander, reunite, and find themselves on another level. They’re back with The Record, a series of finely crafted songs that border on confessionary and surreal. The album, released via Interscope Records, was produced with boygenius in collaboration with Catherine Marks, Sarah Tudzin, and Melina Duterte (a.k.a Jay Som). 

The Record begins with an intimate three-part acapella harmony in “Without You Without Them.” The first song is meant to connect the album with their 2018 EP, acting as a reprise to the project’s final track “Ketchum, ID.” Resembling a barbershop quartet, “Without You Without Them” showcases how beautifully the three singers can harmonize and blend their voices.

It would be a shame to talk about the album without mentioning the 14-minute short film that was directed by Kristen Stewart to go with it. The Film was created with the next three songs in the album: “$20,” “Emily I’m Sorry” and “True Blue” and features the main vocalist of each song as the star of the three-part music video. The video intertwines clips filmed on a handheld camcorder and a 4k camera. It shows how the singers and the songs are intertwined with each other by referencing the same visual themes throughout.

“$20” acts as the true introduction to the album and features Baker as the lead singer with an upbeat chorus and explosive outro. On “Emily I’m Sorry,” Bridgers follows as the star of a contradictorily somber ballad. The song is rumored to be about Bridgers’ complicated relationship with Emily Bannon. It’s about the loss of love in a relationship and the regret that goes with it. “Emily I’m Sorry” also has a sense of emotional distance between the writer and the protagonist. Dacus is the star of “True Blue,” which highlights the sense of comfort found in having friends who understand you.

The album is littered with cultural references of personal inspiration. Referencing the Beatles, Sheryl Crow, and Virginia Woolf, the three collaborators contribute tidbits from their upbringing with specificity and a sense of humor. The second half of the album offers the bittersweet sound of “Revolution 0” and “Leonard Cohen” while “Satanist” gives some alt-rock relief to clear the air. “We’re In Love” is a moment of unique intimacy with a stripped-down solo from Dacus.

Rounding the end of this project is “Anti-Curse,” a daydreamy indie rock tune. The finale, “Letter to an Old Poet,” is strangely familiar as it features a sample from “me & my dog,” the most popular song on their 2018 EP. What appears to be an alternate version of the song ends with a distorted fade-out.

Of course, there are moments of buzzy indie rock guitars, which we’ve come to expect from boygenius. The Record is sonically built around open-sounding guitars with stylistic additions from each member. It is often reminiscent of the late ’90s and the peak of soft rock. Lyrically, The Record offers a range of textures and tender songwriting with emotional clarity and tasteful bleakness. Its themes focus on how our relationships affect each other and our self-reflection. 

The band’s individual personalities show up in the small details that reflect their solo projects. This album is a closer collaboration between the introspective singer/songwriters that make up boygenius. It showcases their growth as individuals and as a group.

Photo by Matt Grubb /The Oriel