Boygenius: Amalgamation

In late November 2022, supergroup Boygenius announced their return to releasing music with an album set to debut this Friday, March 31st, 2023. I figured I would revisit their discography and explore the evolution of this group’s sound as a precursor to the release of The Record. Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker have created an amalgamation of their respective sounds for this album that has brought new life to their discography.

In November 2018 Boygenius released their first self-titled ep. It was a dark, rich, moody, haunting sound, featuring tracks like “Bite The Hand,” and “Me and My Dog.” It was raw, It featured harmonies and melancholic lyrics that were complimented by simple instrumentals. The production of this album was fantastic, and it was a gorgeous debut ep with a fairly homogeneous sound. While this album did allow for each individual artist to be showcased, their sound has certainly evolved since.

 In the years since this ep came out, each of the artists have released more music including Bridgers’s Punisher, Dacus’s Home Video, and Baker’s Little Oblivions all of which have added even more momentum to their careers and musical horizons. These artists each have such unique individual strengths and qualities, but they compliment each other so well. Bridgers brings an element of melancholy, Baker adds the angst, and Dacus comes in and balances it out with her medium between the two.

The group is now back together and stronger than ever, allowing each of their individual sounds to shine on this record. Their singles have been demonstrative of that so far. “$20” perfectly encapsulates Baker’s edginess featuring eccentric drums and guitar. “True Blue” is taken on beautifully by Dacus, featuring gorgeous and heart wrenching lyricism, the classic percussive build of her song, and showcases her range. “Emily, I’m Sorry” features the harmonies of Bridgers and channels elements of “Savior Complex” from Punisher.

“Not Strong Enough,” the group’s most recently released single, seems to be a mixture of each of these sounds and, in my opinion, has been the best single released so far. The melody is powerful and it works in tandem with the lyricism invoking conflicted emotions and insecurity. It opens with gradual instrumental that it builds with desperation – passion in the lyricism immediately catches the listener’s attention. The track moves to an easy-listening build. The chorus is something out of a Sharon Van Etten song, it’s youthful, with jangly guitar and the lyrics “The way I am / Not strong enough to be your man / I tried, I can’t / Stop staring at the ceiling fan.” There is no other way to describe this song than light, broken, painful, it takes the listener on an auditory adventure. It’s such a gorgeous blend of the trio’s respective sounds, from the guitar riffs in Baker’s verse, to Bridgers’ showcase of delicate vocals, and Dacus’s range being well showcased the last refrain of the chorus. Every minute of this song is perfect. The bridge is instrumental, suspenseful and satisfying in such a way that creates a transcendent listening experience, especially into Dacus’s belt at the top of the final verse. This song will make you want to take a breath of crisp spring air under a cloudless sky and reflect on your past and present tribulations. 

This evolution in sound has grown my love for the group even more as they continue to put out consistently fantastic music. Listening to them in 2018 in comparison to their current releases has opened my eyes to the ways in which they have grown as artists and grown into each of their individual sounds. Boygenius has proved to be incredibly versatile with the release of their new singles, and although they have only released the tracklist for the rest of their album, the release of The Record should be a creative hallmark for the band.