Anya Gore
Staff Writer
Boygenius’ debut studio album, “The Record” pleases listeners as it stays consistent with the
mellow indie genre previously demonstrated by each of the group members as they release music
together for the first time.
On March 31, 2023, Boygenius, a new American music group, released their new debut studio
album, “The Record”. After separately pursuing music, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, came together for the first time.
Boygenius first formed in 2018 after Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus were familiar with each other’s music and met in person, quickly sharing interests and becoming friends. Between 2018 and 2022 the trio released several demos in order to raise money for organizations such as the Downtown Women’s Center of Los Angeles, OUTMemphis, and Mutual Aid Distribution Richmond.
“The Record” consists of twelve Indie rock songs, including four pre-released singles. “$20,”
“Emily I’m Sorry,” and “True Blue” were released on January 18, followed by the release of “Not
Strong Enough”, which was released on March 1.
All songs in this album are written by the trio themselves. When writing “Emily I’m Sorry”, four time Grammy nominee, Bridgers took inspiration from artists such as Frank Sinatra, Syd Barrett, and others, bringing back styles which have not reached the top charts in several decades. “Emily I’m Sorry” starts off the album, setting a lonely mood with the slow and sweet-sounding lyrics.
“$20”, the pre-released single written by Baker, takes on a completely different theme, creating a
more tense and upbeat feel although managing to stay true to the Indie Pop genre. Baker’s lyrics
express the results of impulsive decisions and possible dangers of such actions.
On the other hand, Dacus spreads a very different message in “True Blue”. The lyrics emphasize
the importance of true love, which consists of understanding and loyalty, within any type of
relationship or friendship. The lyrics emphasize the importance of looking past some issues and
arguments and not dwelling on the little things, but more
so focusing on the bigger picture.
Although each Boygenius member has something different to share, the vibe of the album stays consistent. Only 10 days after the release, “The Record” peaked at #1 on the UK Official Album Chart, reached #1 on the Billboard Vinyl Albums chart and #4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.
The well-fused mix of subject matters within “The Record” make it unique from other albums,
causing Boygenius to quickly grow in popularity amongst Indie rock admirers. Although this
genre is not for everyone, Boygenius has demonstrated their potential well in “The Record.”
“The Record” can be streamed on Amazon Music, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Spotify, and
YouTube. The album can be purchased for $26.99 at Barnes & Noble and Target.
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