{"id":5156,"date":"2023-04-28T16:58:18","date_gmt":"2023-04-28T22:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/socc\/?p=5156"},"modified":"2023-06-19T15:59:49","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T21:59:49","slug":"album-breakdown-the-record-by-boygenius","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/socc\/2023\/04\/28\/album-breakdown-the-record-by-boygenius\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Breakdown: “the record” by boygenius"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by Mckenna Ryan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I simply need to talk about the genius (haha) new album from renowned Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker indie outfit, boygenius. All three musicians have been consistently slaying for years<\/em>, both in their breathtaking solo work and 2018 self-titled EP. Bridgers has found the most mainstream success, but Baker and Dacus have an equally notable ability to craft complex, emotionally dense lyrics perfectly highlighted by stripped down production. The three of them come together under boygenius to create a unique, blended sound informed by their close friendship. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

the record<\/em> shifts from the solidly indie sound of their previous work to something somewhat more upbeat and rock influenced, and it is great<\/em>. At its core, the album is a series of love letters written to each other. The friendship that powers boygenius is distinctly queer, remaining platonic while crossing sexual and romantic boundaries in a way that may seem incomprehensible to those on the outside. Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus explore this complexity and reject any clear distinction between romantic and platonic love. Each song on the record<\/em> feels deeply personal and cathartic, as “the boys” lean on each other while expressing complex feelings. From breathless confessions of love to literal screams of rage, boygenius remains unceasing in their dissection of relationships at their core. They explore the fundamental human desire to love and be loved, and ultimately find that need fulfilled in one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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the record<\/em> kicks off with \u201cWithout You, Without Them\u201d, an acapella track with Dacus on lead vocals and Bridgers and Bakers supporting her with sweeping harmonies. The track explores how we are deeply shaped by the people in our lives and by those who came before us (see \u201cPillar of Truth\u201d of Dacus’ 2018 album Historian<\/em>). Despite such existential subject matter, the track still manages to feel grounded, and remains musically complex even without instrumentals. \u201cWithout You, Without Them\u201d is a fitting start to the album, with hymn-like reverence for love and relationships.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Next up is \u201c$20\u201d, an absolute banger that, though far more punk-inspired than anything the group has done before, still manages to feel classically boygenius. The track is off with a bang as Baker sings, \u201cIt\u2019s a bad idea and I\u2019m all about it\u201d. She goes on to paint a picture of reckless youth riding motorcycles and lighting shit on fire. This desire for freedom stems from a place of desperation, and seems to lead to self-sabotage. The boys explore an alternative life in \u201c$20\u201d, one where they can be loud and dirty and free and smash shit without anyone telling them no; one where they have the freedom to make the mistakes boys get to make: “In another life we were arsonists”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dacus and Bridgers complement Baker beautifully throughout, their voices building and building until the chorus, when their stunning harmonies suddenly turn chaotic. Their voices overlap as the cracks begin to show through this fantasy of a boyish, consequence-free childhood. Bridgers breaks through the noise, pleading, \u201cMay I please have twenty dollars?\u201d The chaos reaches its peak as Bridgers screams, \u201cI know you have twenty dollars\u201d. When the track abruptly ends, the listener is left with the impression that boygenius has accepted – or is resigned to – their fate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Emily I’m Sorry” features Bridgers soft vocals over stripped down acoustic production. Coming off heartbreakingly insecure, Bridgers describes a failing relationship. She seems ready to roll over and give up anything<\/em>, to become \u201csomeone only you could want\u201d, just as long as Emily keeps loving her (“Just take me back to Montreal \/ I’ll get a real job, you’ll go back to school”). Bridgers’ offer to \u201cburn out in the freezing cold\u201d highlights her conflicting feelings and desires as she tries to force a relationship that just isn\u2019t working. Bridgers’ meek facade seems to mask a fury ready to boil over as she represses her anger at herself, at Emily, at love itself<\/em> for not being fucking fair.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Seemingly reflecting this internal struggle, \u201cthe film<\/a>\u201d – which features the Kristen Stewart directed<\/em> music videos for “$20”, “Emily I’m Sorry”, and upcoming track “True Blue” – finds Bridgers standing, pale and barely moving, as monster trucks rage behind her. As the song nears its end, Baker and Dacus join, and Bridgers lights the car behind her on fire. With visible relief, she now seems ready to move on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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