Three musicians. Four days. The three members of boygenius, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus took only four days to write and record their debut self-titled EP in Los Angeles. However, even due to the quick turnaround time for producing a fully-fledged EP, the six songs on “boygenius,” released on Oct. 26, 2018 via Matador Records, have a timeless quality that makes it hard to get tired of them, no matter how many times you listen.
If you’re reading this and thinking “Who?” you may not be alone. Baker, Bridgers and Dacus are all somewhat new musicians to the indie and alternative scene. Baker, from Memphis, Tennessee, released her debut album “Sprained Ankle” in 2015 and her sophomore record “Turn out the Lights” in 2017, both to critical acclaim. Bridgers, from Pasadena, California, released her debut album “Stranger in the Alps” also to strong reviews and Dacus, a native of Richmond, Virginia, released her debut album “No Burden” in 2016 and her follow-up, “Historian” in 2018, both to critical acclaim as well. Given the overwhelmingly positive reviews each artist has received, as well as their different musical styles–Baker’s guitar-leaning folk, Bridgers’ more produced folk-rock and Dacus’ more rock-heavy style–that still manage to seamlessly blend together, it is no surprise that “boygenius” was named one of the best records of 2018 by NPR, Esquire, Consequence of Sound and other publications.
Boygenius’ EP incorporates the different aspects of each musician’s style into every song, while still ensuring that all three musicians equally share the spotlight. The opener, “Bite the Hand,” and “Salt in the Wound” lean more on Dacus’ rock style, while “Me & my dog” and “Ketchum, ID” rely more on Bridger’s unique sound. Lastly, “Souvenir” and “Stay Down” are more emblematic of Baker’s style of music, even if “Stay Down” is less acoustic than Baker’s records so far. Even though the album combines different genres of music, the songs manage to blend them together nicely, showing the versatility of Baker, Bridgers and Dacus as lyricists and as musicians.
“boygenius” was by far one of my favorite records of 2018. Even though I was already a fan of Baker and Dacus, the EP shows a newer sense of versatility in their artistry and also introduced me to Bridgers. It is worth a listen not just for fans of indie or alternative rock and folk, since its variety of musical styles makes it broadly accessible to anyone. Boygenius recently wrapped up a North American tour in December, but all three musicians are separately touring the United States in the upcoming months. At first, boygenius was not planning on making any more music, but in a Feb. 14 interview with Stuff News, Baker stated that the three were “very adamant” about making more music together as boygenius. Overall, “boygenius” is a stunning EP and debut from three highly talented musicians, and given the success of the EP so far, hopefully another album will eventually be released.