“The rest”: Boygenius Keeps it Short and Sad
Boygenius performing at the MGM Music Hall on Sep. 25, 2023. Photo courtesy of Ashley Gellman.
By PAULINA MATA/ Social Media Editor
Indie supergroup boygenius (which is stylized lowercase), coming off the high of a well-received first album and tour, released their latest EP, “the rest”, on Oct. 13.
The four-track project features surprise songs previously performed on “the tour” by members Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. Though it lasts only a mere 12 minutes, “the rest” is an emotionally packed punch to the heart.
As the indie-alternative scene is dominated by big names like Mitski and Lana Del Rey, it’s difficult for smaller artists not to get stuck in the undercurrent of the increasingly common indie bands. But boygenius, debuting in 2018 with their self-titled EP, made a name for themselves in the last year with their first album, “the record.”
The alternative genre is a place for experimental, not-for-everyone sounds. Boygenius and its Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus components are familiar with the idea: in fact, their solo careers are defined by the unique genre. The opening track of “the rest”, “Black Hole” is the perfect mix of confusingly poetic lyrics and interestingly dissonant instrumentals.
“Black Hole” starts the EP off with a pensive solo verse in which Baker describes the wonder of a black hole creating stars, accompanied by an astronautical beeping. At a live event celebrating the release of “the rest,” Baker explains the story behind the lyrics.
“When we were recording, Lucy showed me a tweet that was a headline that was like, ‘Black Holes Creating Stars,’ instead of just sucking them up and destroying them. And everybody on the internet was like, ‘Can’t wait to see how many people put this in a poem!’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna be one!’
Julien Baker, at a live in-store performance at Fingerprints on Oct. 13
The song switches gears as Dacus and Bridgers pick up a metered second verse, along with a faster-paced beat. The opening track seamlessly transitions into the second track, hooking in new listeners of boygenius and satisfying the returning ones.
“Afraid of Heights,” the Dacus-centered second song, focuses on a relationship that fell apart due to Dacus’ tendency to be risk-averse while her partner was a risk-seeker. Dacus sings, “I wanna live a vibrant life / But I wanna die a boring death / I know I was a disappointment / Know you wanted me to take a risk.”
The indie-alternative scene isn’t unfamiliar with this conflicting personalities trope, especially when combined with a basic guitar strum. Though “Afraid of Heights” isn’t groundbreakingly new, it’s the particularly hurtful lyrics and Dacus’ injured tone that set it apart from most.
Similarly, Bridgers leads “Voyager” and reminisces on an ended relationship’s unbalanced nature. It’s a quiet song, with only the melodic plucking of guitar strings and hushed humming in the background to compliment Bridgers’s somber singing. In the lines “You thought I’d never leave, and I let you believe you were right,” and “You took it from me, but I would’ve given it to you,” Bridgers describes how the loss of a partner was blindsiding.
“The rest” album cover. Photo courtesy of Matt Grub.
Boygenius once again references outer space in the lyrics, “Makes me feel like a man on the moon / Every small step I took was so easy / But I never imagined a dot quite as pale or as blue.”
The recurring space theme follows into the final track, “Powers,” and finishes with a full-circle moment as Baker speculates her origins.
“Powers,” the most moving of the four songs, starts with somewhat frustrated guitar strumming and a sigh. Baker uses comic book cliches such as, “How did it start? Did I fall into a nuclear reactor? / Crawl out with acid skin or somethin’ worse / A hostile alien ambassador? / Or am I simply another of the universe’s failed experiments?” to reason with her existence. Followed by the fading out of a solemn-sounding trumpet and guitar for a whole minute, the last lines of “Powers” serve as the thesis of “the rest.”
“The rest” is a form of punctuating the revival of boygenius, their first album, and tour all in one go. It’s a collection of three women’s vulnerable stories, wrapped in entrancing production.
While “the rest” doesn’t bring anything new to boygenius’s sound, it allows for an intimate and closer look at the components of boygenius, as they each share a slice of themselves in the tracks. It’s a special treat for long-time fans, but is perhaps not for the casual or new listener.