Hello to my fellow sad queer music enthusiasts, how are we doing after the release of the new boygenius EP? If you’re anything like me, then I assume not terribly well.
For those of you who are not familiar with the lyrically devasting and musically talented band that is boygenius, don’t worry, I’ve got you. The group is comprised of singer-songwriters Phoebe Bridgers, Julian Baker, and Lucy Dacus. Back in 2018, the three singer-songwriters decided to tour together. It was during this time while trying to figure out a set list of covers and individual works, that they discovered their dynamic together created something akin to magic.
Despite their differing genres and musical styles, all three indie darlings explore similar themes in their work, and their vocal harmonies are damn-near heart-shattering. Later in 2018, they released their debut EP, self-titled boygenius. The EP was well-received by critics and fans alike; I myself am unafraid to admit that I have cried while listening to it. It wasn’t until five years later, in March of 2023, that the band got back together and released their debut album the record. Their band centres and flourishes around the fact that before anything else, they are friends. This is especially showcased in their songs “True Blue” and “We’re in Love.” Rest assured, I cried over this album as well. This time it was over a Facetime call with two of my friends both during and after our first time listening to the album.
Now, four months after I had the heart-wrenching experience of seeing boygenius live in concert (I swear Lucy looked at me), they have released a second EP, titled the rest. the rest acts as an epilogue to their album, as it continues many themes of the record such as the tentative navigation of relationships, grief, and the entanglement of fear and hope.
Straying away from the upbeat rock style of some of their album’s singles, the rest favours more stripped-down instrumental tracks. This serves to highlight their masterful lyrical manipulation of language. Unfortunately, I don’t think I am actually capable of ranking these songs numerically so instead I have provided you with a brief overview of each and my initial thoughts and reactions to the songs:
“Blackhole”
Opening up with a piano’s melody we are greeted with Julian’s vocals, which are clear and vulnerable. To me the fragmentary phrases in the song’s bridge are acting like flashes of someone’s memory; we aren’t given a clear picture of what happened. It also hasn’t escaped my notice that the song’s title seems to reference a line from their single “Not Strong Enough”, where Bridgers sings the opening lines “Black hole opened in the kitchen/Every clock’s a different time.”
How this song devastates me: In that brief moment where you are about to text someone, because it’s second nature, and then realise they are no longer in your life.
Favourite Lyric:
“My thoughts, all noise, fake smiles, decoys/ Sometimes, I need to hear your voice”
“Afraid of Heights”
Despite not being able to rate these songs, one thing is clear – this is my favourite from the EP. The acoustic strum of the guitar is accompanied here by Lucy Dacus’ soothing voice as she clearly paints a picture for us with the use of expressive metaphor and imagery. Ultimately, this song is about being friends with someone who is reckless both with themselves and others and ultimately not wanting to follow suit.
How this song devastates me: Like the bittersweet realization that wanting to die is no longer something that defines your identity and not knowing how to define it in any other way.
Favourite Lyric:
“I never rode a motorcycle/ I never smoked a cigarette/ I wanna live a vibrant life / But I wanna die a boring death”
“Voyager”
This song is speculated to have been written for and excluded from Phoebe Bridgers’ sophomore album, Punisher. With its use of haunting harmonized background vocals and soft strings, I am inclined to agree. This song seems to make reference to her song “Moon Song”, with a lyric which reads “But I never imagined a dot quite as pale or as blue, you took it from me, but I would’ve given it to you”. Thematically both songs are similar. We are shown a helpless and almost humiliating love being desperately given away in both songs.
How this song devastates me: In the way that you quietly admit to yourself that your significant other doesn’t care enough to give half as much as you’re willing to give them.
Favourite Lyric:
“And sometimes, you let me read your mind/ Then there are nights that you don’t remember”
“Powers”
Here Julian employs sharp words and images of her crawling out of a nuclear reactor to articulate a sense of disorientating alienation. Immediately this track reminded me of “Anti-Curse”, with its slow build-up to a beautiful resonant bridge. Moreover, the last minute of this song is filled with a solitary instrumental tune a lone horn is heard wailing, and the faint plucking of some guitar strings is heard as well. Are we as listeners supposed to interpret this sound as “the force of our impact, the fission/ the hum of our contact, the sound of our contacts”? Whatever it’s meant to represent, I can’t help but think that these last mournful cries of a horn sound oddly like a lamentful farewell.
How this song devastates me: Like that time you laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling, and trying to remember how you got here.
Favourite Lyric:
“The tail of a comet burned up in an instant, the destruction of matter/ There’s no object to seen in the super collider”
Vibe check, how are we feeling after this portrait of my melancholic state? If the weather has you sentimental then this EP is the weighted blanket you need to get through it. Seriously. Listen to it.