February 6, 2023 by Lucia Birnby (’23)
It’s been nearly five years since boygenius released their self-titled EP, and fans have been waiting patiently for their return. The supergroup–consisting of Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker–teased their debut LP, The Record on January 18th with three new songs: “$20,” “Emily I’m Sorry,” and “True Blue.”
Each song was written by one member of the band alone, which is why they all reflect the artist’s individual styles more clearly than the songs on boygenius, the EP. The first track, “$20,” is a perfect example of this. It’s Baker-led, and like many of her songs, it portrays the constant self-destructive tendencies in the back of her mind. The choppy and rigid instrumentals are a stark contrast to her part on boygenius, however her signature driving guitar riffs are ever-present–just as they are in the EP’s “Bite the Hand,” and “Salt In The Wound.” In a Rolling Stone interview, Baker describes the song as being about the “wanting-to-poke-the-bear-impulse” that she has experienced with her sobriety. Bridgers and Dacus back the entire track, but all three of them really let loose in the last minute of the song. Baker shreds, the drums crescendo, Dacus’ voice surges, and Bridgers screams (a-la “I Know The End”). Then, everything goes silent. The message in this track is clear, but even better, we get a perfect example of what a “supergroup” should be–a balanced synthesis of each artist’s individual talents. You can clearly hear each point of view, and it all comes together to create a perfectly dynamic storm of emotion and storytelling.
Bridgers sent Dacus and Baker a demo of “Emily I’m Sorry” a week after releasing her 2020 album, Punisher. You can hear the similarities on the first listen–the dreamy, haziness from songs like Garden Song and Savior Complex, and the expressive, storytelling lyrics from Graceland Too and Moon Song. And, in addition to Bridgers’ sound, we get smooth, harmonizing vocals from both Dacus and Baker–it’s truly the best of both worlds.
The song starts with the lyrics, “she’s asleep in the backseat lookin’ peaceful,” paired with a driving guitar rhythm. It falls into a darker mood, with Emily having a dream of “screeching tires and fire.” When Dacus and Baker come in on the song’s chorus, they provide a countermelody to Bridgers’ leading vocals that resolve together only on the one harmony line, “Emily I’m Sorry.” This fully encapsulates the two different feelings described throughout the song: being held up by a relationship, while also feeling trapped by love. Bridgers continues with the dream/car crash metaphor in the second verse, with the lyrics “headed straight for the concrete in a nightmare.” She describes herself as “wide awake, spiraling,” and unable to pull herself out of the wreck of a relationship that seems to be the only place for her. The juxtaposition of the line “we can burn out in the freezing cold,” shows the push and pull that she feels, and how she can’t make up her mind. As the music rises, Dacus and Baker echo Bridgers’ lyrics, and her sentiment, with the lyrics, “I can feel myself becoming somebody I’m not, so Emily, forgive me…” The track ends with a lone Bridgers repeating “Emily, I’m sorry” over a fading guitar, which really drives home the themes of guilt that play throughout the entire song.
The last track, “True Blue,” in typical Dacus style, perfectly demonstrates an emotional connection through specific moments and feelings: a sweaty upper lip, a leaky faucet, freezing Chicago weather; and overall, the vulnerability of sharing yourself with another person. The chorus of the song, “and it feels good to be known so well/I can’t hide from you like I hide from myself,” describes the feeling of someone knowing you even better than you know yourself. Dacus, Bridgers, and Baker all harmonize at the start of the bridge, singing, “who won the fight? I don’t know,” and a sole Dacus ends it with, “we’re not keeping score.” It’s a testament to a real love that withstands the tests of time. The actual instrumentals of the song stay the same for most of the track, which effectively amplifies the consistency and stability of the relationship being described.
Overall, these three tracks have given us the perfect parts of Dacus, Bridgers, and Baker. boygenius makes the difficult feat of both magnifying multiple artist’s individual talents and integrating them together seem simple and effortless. March 31st is under two months away, but boygenius fans have been waiting for this forever. Anticipations for what else the supergroup has in store run high, and The Record can’t come soon enough.
The Record track list:
01 “Without You Without Them”
02 “$20”
03 “Emily I’m Sorry”
04 “True Blue”
05 “Cool About It”
06 “Not Strong Enough”
07 “Revolution O”
08 “Leonard Cohen”
09 “Satanist”
10 “We’re in Love”
11 “Anti-Curse”
12 “Letter to an Old Poet”