the record - boygenius: Review
is the beloved trio of critical darling singer-songwriters Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker. The trio first united in 2018 for a short EP that received lots of critical acclaim but in the years since they've each, Bridgers in particular, become even more critically and commercially successful. After each of the trio released studio albums in 2020 or 2021, they've returned as a group for a formal studio debut project.
Review by Lav:
Some of my biggest haters are waiting to feast on this one. While hip-hop reviews will always be the most controversial because hip-hop fans have very little to do other than complain about reviews online, my apparent tirade again singer-songwriter girlies is a close second. I think everyone in boygenius is very talented but with all of them, Julien Baker in particular, I've been far lower on their work than the critical consensus. In fact, this reared its head with boygenius itself when I gave the EP a just okay verdict that I still stand by 5 years later. But with some solid singles in the lead-up to the record I was actually excited to see what they had and while this is no doubt an improvement, it turns out to be only marginal.
Let's talk singles first. $20 was the first song to grab my attention and it's the defacto opener here. It feels like the band is showing off some legit muscle for their first time as a group and it reminds me of some of the more climactic moments from Punisher. Even better was Not Strong Enough which came next. It's a heartland rock ballad that's heavy on the sentiment with a hook that fully pays off everything it builds. It's definitely the best song on the album.
True Blue is another pre-release song that's grown on me primarily because I enjoy the sentiment of a love song focused on someone who knows you so well that you can't hide your emotions from them even when you're hiding them from yourself. Even though the vocals on the hook could really use a more dramatic performance separate from Lucy solo on the verses, I still come away from the song decently satisfied.
Thankfully the record also has a pretty satisfying run of tracks to close it off. We're In Love is a ballad that's functionally a Lucy Dacus solo song. While I've always thought her ballads were weaker than Phoebe's and Julien's this is actually one of the better ones mostly because the gentle strings really pay off on the songs great emotional hook. Every time I heard the song I'm surprised how much I like it. Anti-Curse on the other hand is primarily a Julien Baker effort where she has a bit of an existential crisis about dying one day. It's another song that I'm surprised remained such a big highlight for me as she makes her normally underwhelming breathy vocals really work with the song and when it all erupts in the second half it's quite satisfying.
The finale Letter To An Old Poet is a Phoebe-led outing but this time I think even some of her silliest details are actually deployed well and in support of a good song. What I like even more about the song is the reserved little piano refrains and the harmonizing in its final leg.
Speaking of Phoebe as much as I hate to say it and as much as I know it will piss people off, what holds this album back from its full potential is Phoebe Bridgers lyricism. Emily I'm Sorry is led by her and you can tell because her songwriting hallmarks are all over it. While the instrumental is more on the drab side I can at least appreciate how fuzzed out some of it is. Satanist is another example where you'll have to get over some incredibly painful lyrics in order to enjoy it. It's a shame because some of the guitar work is pretty exciting though I wouldn't necessarily call it a highlight.
The worst of the bunch is Revolution 0 which I don't get at all. Phoebe's quirky millennial style of writing is on full display here and it's so cringey and silly compared to the track's more serious demeanor on the harmonizing hook.
the record is pretty much what I expected. While it's an improvement from the EP and Lucy Dacus in particular is on her A-game, there are plenty of songs here that fail to stick the landing for one reason or another. Whether it's lyricism, songwriting, or tepid instrumentals too many of these tracks have a shortcoming that gets in the way of their otherwise admirable goals. But even with that complaint in hand, the talent and fundamentals of all the artists involved still eventually shines through and makes for a decent record that in its best moments can feel greater than the sum of its parts. 6.5/10
For more reviews check out my thoughts on Paramore's This Is Why here
