Boygenius Debut Record Celebrates A Beautiful Friendship…While Sounding Less Cohesive Than Ever
Rating: 7/10
Standout Tracks: $20, Cool About It, Not Strong Enough, We’re In Love
Like so many queer people born in the last 25 years, I’ve been stoked for supergroup boygenius’s full-length debut ever since they first came together in 2018. Featuring soulful songwriters and close friends Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus, the group turned heads with their self-titled EP, bringing together some of the strongest elements of each artist’s sound. It came as a disappointment to me, then, that their hotly anticipated return with The record sounds more like a playlist of each of them as an individual.
The batch of singles that arrived early this year gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s hard to deny the playful power of “$20” and the heartfelt balladry of “True Blue.” On the other, though, the trio clearly designated each song as a contribution of a specific member. None of them truly lived up to the original promise of boygenius.
Don’t get me wrong, The record features some incredible bits of songwriting. The intoxicating 7/4 riff on “$20,” and the cheeky sendup of pretentious male artist worship on “Leonard Cohen” are particular highlights for me. “Not Strong Enough” is by far the highlight of the tracklist, bringing a much-needed burst of energy, emotion, and tight instrumentation that feels at once familiar and wholly unique to this team. The whole project was clearly a lot of fun to make, which is ultimately the purpose of this or any other musical effort.
Compared to the EP, The record largely lacks both the heavy, sophisticated musicality of “Bite The Hand” as well as the understated sincerity of “Ketchum, ID.” What’s left is a collection of depressed ballads broken up by faint glimpses of life. “Satanist” promises to be a catchy rock tune with the members trading witty verses, but ultimately falls flat and overstays its welcome. Closer “Letter To An Old Poet” ceremoniously calls back to 2018’s “Me & My Dog,” which was my least favorite out of the original songs. The continuation shares the candid lyricism and limp flow of its predecessor, and I can’t help but wonder whether another typical “Phoebe Bridgers Sad Breakup Song” was really the best way to send off this album about love and friendship.
Overall, the project felt less like the result of a tight-knit supergroup and more like a collection of each artist’s songs that happen to feature each other. “Emily I’m Sorry,” “Revolution 0,” and “Letter To An Old Poet” feel like they could have made up a Phoebe Bridgers singles collection, whereas “True Blue,” “Leonard Cohen,” and “We’re In Love” would be right at home on a Lucy Dacus solo effort. That isn’t necessarily to dismiss the songs themselves; each member has their own stellar discography with distinct styles. But when the selling point of a project is that these artists are coming together to collaborate, I want to see something that none of them could have made on their own.
The record is a very good album. It’s one of the better albums I’ve heard this year, and will no doubt be a huge success for everyone involved. Each track adds up into a lovingly made outpouring of emotion that celebrates the comfort that can be found in sharing one’s pain. But while it lived up to my expectations, it didn’t quite live up to my hopes. I truly hope that this collaboration stays strong, and that these three generation-defining artists will build on what they’ve started.