The indie rock band boygenius has unsurprisingly impressed fans with its recently released album, which features 12 songs that focus on friendship and its accompanying feelings.

Forming in 2018 with the release of a self-titled EP, boygenius is composed of indie artists Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker. The EP was praised for its genius songwriting and fans adored the creativity of the formidable trio. Proceeding with the release of this EP, the artists returned to releasing music as part of their solo careers and remained silent on whether they would reunite and release more music. 

Little did the world know in the summer of 2020, the band members began collaborating on making more music. By Jan. 2022, the band was finally recording in a studio for the album. “the record” tells personal stories of the members’ friendship and translates the feelings that accompany relationships into lyrics that listeners cannot help but relate to.

The opening song of the album “Without You Without Them” features Dacus as the lead singer, with the soft harmonies of Baker and Bridgers’ vocals in the background. The song is done entirely acapella and has a soothing folk melody. The lyrics ask the question “Who would I be without you?” and through lines such as “Thank your father before you, his mother before him” the song acknowledges the importance of one’s history in shaping who they are.

Listening to the songs that follow, it becomes apparent that the album does an impressive job of alternating between slower, softer melodies to energizing rock songs. The lead vocalist also switches throughout, indicating how thoroughly involved each artist was in telling their perspectives. Both the style and the person singing the lyrics are chosen intentionally for the sake of the song, adding another layer to the complexity of the storytelling.

Describing the love born from friendship but also touching on the difficulties many people have with this kind of intimacy, is a common theme for many of the songs. “We’re In Love” is a heartfelt ballad sung by Dacus, who expresses the thoughts that come with revealing all of your flaws to someone. Through the line, “Will you still love me if it turns out I’m insane?/ I know what you’ll say, but it helps to hear you say it anyway,” she establishes that being “in love” means loving someone despite their imperfections. Similarly, “Satanist” contrasts its energizing melody with a pensive question: “Will you stand by me even if I change?” Once again, the somewhat uncomfortable feeling of trusting someone with the full scope of who you are is brought to light.

The final track, “Letter To An Old Poet,” portrays the falling out of a toxic friendship. Bridgers sings the lead vocals of the ballad, describing what it is like knowing that someone is not good for you, but still loving them anyway. Dacus and Baker join her later on when she begins accepting that she is better on her own through the lines “I wanna be happy, I’m ready/ To walk into my room without looking for you.” The song closes with “And remember my dog when I see the full moon,” referencing the song “Me and My Dog” from the boygenius EP and “I can’t feel it yet/ But I am waiting.” A bittersweet final note that leaves anticipation for what will hopefully be a feeling of relief.

Accompanying the release of the album was a 14-minute film on YouTube. The film features the songs “$20,” “Emily I’m Sorry” and “True Blue.” Each one mainly focuses on the lead vocalist of the song. However, as the film continues on, the other two members are slowly integrated into the lyrics and visuals. Each woman is portrayed as their lone self, yet simultaneously as being one, representing how each of their perspectives were used in the process of creating the album. Their feelings did not contradict each other; instead, they united their ideas and experiences, turning them into one cohesive piece. The connotations of this album and the applicability of it to the complex emotions that everyone has felt, make it noteworthy to those who listen to it instead of simply hearing it.