Boygenius has released a new EP titled “the rest,” but students at the University of Maryland have mixed opinions on the music.
“The rest,” released Oct. 13, is a four-song extension of boygenius’ second album, “the record,” released on March 31. Tracks on “the rest” include Black Hole, Afraid of Heights, Voyager and Powers.
“These are songs that weren’t ready for “the record” and then we spent time on them and they’re ready now,” member Lucy Dacus told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. In classic boygenius fashion many agree the music is quite melancholy.
Under the EP’s release announcement post on Instagram, user @doracecilia commented “The rest is amazing, it made me cry at 8am, and I’m happy about that.” User @bobaboee wrote “thank u for curing and causing my depression.”
Some criticism about the songs also arose. User @hectorluis_schiele commented “EP was lowkey mid.”
After speaking with Maryland students, more hesitancy became apparent.
“Overall, I’d rate the EP like a four out of ten,” sophomore chemical engineering major Hannah Ellenbogen said. Sometimes I wish their songs were more diverse in sound.”
Sophomore architecture major Casey Rolfes shared a similar sentiment.
“It’s nothing special, really,” Rolfes said. “Boygenius tends to make the same songs over and over again. I like them, but more as background music honestly.”
The musical group, comprised of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, started as a convergence of friends. In an interview with Vogue, Dacus explained how she opened for one of Baker’s shows in 2016, then was later connected with Bridgers through Baker.
Boygenius debuted in 2018 with a self-titled album, then took a hiatus before releasing “the record.”
Sophomore journalism major Ashley Oiler believes the vocal and stylistic intersection of the three singers gives boygenius a leg up compared to solo artists, though streaming numbers have yet to reflect this.
“Not Strong Enough,” considered one of if not the most popular of their songs, has so far amassed more than 53 million streams on Spotify, though this doesn’t compare to the success of Dacus or Bridgers independently.
Bridgers’ most streamed song on Spotify is “Motion Sickness” with more than 300 million plays. Dacus follows with “Night Shift,” which has more than 77 million streams.
Despite the criticism, sophomore criminology major Lindsay Fisher believes boygenius has a bright future, saying their song lyrics are relatable for young people and the sound of the band has a certain allure that the individual artists could never create on their own.
Though boygenius is still on the come-up, the vocal and stylistic intersection of the three singers gives boygenius a leg up compared to solo artists.
“I love their group as a whole,” Oiler said. “They’re three super powerful women.”