The year 2023 is long gone, but one band’s album keeps me frozen in that magical year. In 2023 boygenius’s album, “the record,” dropped, and I haven’t been the same since my first listen. A summer of touring followed the release of the album, and I was lucky enough to see boygenius twice. Those two nights were some of the best of my life. Here’s why you should listen to boygenius too.
Boygenius put out their first EP in 2018 when its three artists, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, came together on a tour and wanted to create songs to perform together. I was a casual listener of the group’s first EP because at the time, I was mainly just a Phoebe Bridgers fan. Baker and Dacus’ solo music had yet to grace my ears at this time, but 2023 would change that for the better. When the group’s first three singles — “$20,” “Emily, I’m Sorry,” and “True Blue”— dropped, I knew that I needed to tune in.
These three songs each have their own vibes, but they all resonate with me.“$20” is an invigorating rock track that gets me up and at ‘em in the morning, and incidentally, the music video follows Baker waking up. “Emily, I’m Sorry,” is a heartrending song that’s brought me to tears on multiple occasions, as I think about the apologies I’d give my own lost loved ones. And “True Blue” is a gorgeous track about friendship that I blast when I’m on my way to the beach with my closest friends.
Shortly after releasing their EP, boygenius released “Not Strong Enough,”, another life-altering song. This powerful rock song took the indie scene by storm with its relatable lyrics about not feeling strong enough to be with someone while coping with mental health struggles. I’ve spiraled while listening to this song a number of times, and it’s the perfect “crash-out” song for the days when you feel like speeding down the highway while crying your eyes out.
These four songs had me pretty pumped for the group’s first album, but alas, the release date came, and I found myself so busy with work that I had to put off my first listen so that I could properly absorb the masterpiece.
One night, I was feeling a little bit down and decided that my “pick-me-up” drive to Sonic was the perfect time to finally listen to the album. The range of emotions I experienced on first listen was unmatched by any other album listening experience I’d had.
Opening the album is “Without You Without Them,” where the three vocalists harmonize on an acoustic track. It sets a stunning tone for the rest of the album.
“Cool About It” is easily my favorite song of all time. (I’ve literally streamed this song nearly 2000 times.) I even have a tattoo referencing Baker’s lyric, “Feeling like an absolute fool about it.” Each singer has their own verse and chorus on the song, and a banjo accompanies their haunting vocals. It’s devastatingly beautiful.
“Revolution 0” sparked some tears as well upon first listen, thanks to its whimsy and Bridger’s melodic voice. To close out the track, the three vocalists harmonize, which made me feel like I was floating among the stars. “Leonard Cohen” is a short but sweet song about the joys of friendship, a common thread in all of Dacus’ tracks on “the record.” “Satanist” is another punchy rock song and a fan favorite at concerts, featuring Baker shredding it on the guitar.
“We’re In Love” is a song I’ve listened to countless times and will never tire of. The meaning it holds in my own life makes each stream almost nauseatingly, crushingly gorgeous. A quiet piano is the track to Dacus’ moving words about pure love for friends and hoping to find them in every lifetime.
Following that is a song that’s saved my life on a number of occasions: “Anti-Curse.” It’s a rare, hopeful Baker track that uses her true story of swimming back from the ocean after nearly drowning to express the feelings of fighting back. This song bleeds flawlessly into “Letter To An Old Poet,” a continuation of the song “Me & My Dog” off boygenius’s debut EP. It’s an incisive, bewitching end to a phenomenal album.
The three artists that make up boygenius are powerhouses of their genre, and seeing them live in the summer of 2023 was the greatest blessing. The album “the record” had me in a chokehold that remains to this day. If you have yet to hit play on “the record,” give yourself the greatest gift of listening to boygenius for the first time. You can thank me later.
Featured image “boygeniusKingstonEarly240823 (20 of 45)” by Raph_PH, CC BY 4.0
I recently came across https://pin-up1.in/ while exploring different online platforms, and it actually left a good impression. What stood out to me is how simple and intuitive everything feels from the start. You don’t have to spend time figuring out where things are or how it works, which is often the case with similar sites. The overall experience feels smooth, without unnecessary clutter or distractions. It seems like a solid option for anyone who prefers a clean interface and a more straightforward approach without overcomplicating the process.