By Nick Piccinino
It’s a well known fact that women are underrepresented in the music industry. Despite this, some of the best music in the past few years has been released by female fronted bands. Artists like Snail Mail, Cherry Glazzer and Soccer Mommy have made strides in pushing the evolving sound of indie rock. Within this large web of new artists sit indie rockers Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers. All three musicians, established in their own right, create their own brand of folk rock with sentimental lyrics and have been making waves with their new collaborative EP released under the name "Boygenius."
Its six track, self-titled EP is a tender, emotional 21 minute experience. Dacus, Baker and Bridgers trade off on lead vocals and often come together on choruses to make beautiful three-part harmonies. The stand-out track “Me & My Dog,” begins with a soft acoustic guitar and eventually swells with ambient electric guitar and banjo. Boygenius has a knack for seamlessly adding subtle elements in its songs. The track “Salt in The Wound” starts with a distorted guitar and Dacus’ vocals, which builds to a loud and powerful climax.
The topics of the songs cover familiar territory: love, heartbreak and revisiting nostalgic places, and the lyrics are delivered with such sincerity that there’s never a moment where any line comes across as insincere or melodramatic. For instance, the closing track “Ketchum, ID” contains the poignant lines, “Being in love is the same thing as being alone / Giving the sorrow some company / Nothing to say, stay on the phone / I’m sorry I do not know what else you want from me.” You can feel the earnest longing in Baker’s delivery. Additionally, the EP’s length is one of its greatest strengths. None of the songs feel like fillers, making the EP a good sample of the group’s talent and potential — a potential that could be further realized on a future full album release. Overall, Boygenius has succeeded in making a dynamic, striking folk EP.
xX Long live college radio Xx
