Julian Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus have done it again. Their new four-track extended play (EP) the rest was just what fans of American indie-rock supergroup boygenius (Stylized in all lowercase) were waiting for. As a follow up to the band’s first full length and Grammy nominated album “the record,” “the rest” serves as not only a transition from their first album, but also as a look into the band’s future.
boygenius released their first EP, “boygenius,” in 2018, consisting of six songs that combined the musical qualities of all three singer-songwriters’ individual careers as artists for the first time. While “boygenius” flew mostly under the radar, their follow-up album, “the record,” released in early 2023, was nominated for a whopping six awards at the 2024 Grammys. While on tour for “the record,” boygenius performed each song on “the rest” individually, eventually revealing the entire EP.
When the EP first dropped on Oct. 13., 2023, I nearly fell over myself in my rush to get my AirPods in and listen. As a self proclaimed super fan of their previous works, “the record” and their first EP “boygenius,” you can say that I was definitely more than a little excited to hear “the rest.”
The EP consists of four tracks mainly powered by the band’s unique indie vocals, but each song has a distinctly different tone and vibe. The three singer-songwriters’ vocals mesh perfectly together in heart wrenching harmony as the listeners can only hold their breath until the end of the 12 minutes and 6 seconds. It is a ride on the coattails of grief as each song expresses hope for the future after a toxic relationship.
The first song, “Blackhole” is true to its name. The track starts with a single key on the piano, eventually expanding to raw vocals, minimal layers and a backing track that truly makes you feel as if you are floating in space. I’ll be honest, this track wasn’t my favorite. It felt almost too empty, like I was listening to a background track for a movie instead of a song that can be played on its own. The one-note vocals and melody weren’t for me, and even though it was a unique approach to a song, it wasn’t as impressive as the rest of the boygenius discography.
The second song, and in my opinion the albums most lyrically impactful, was “Afraid of Heights.” Dacus’s voice perfectly sets the tone of the song, containing a flawless mix of apathy and softness, as if she was telling a story or reflecting on something. The song contrasts the singer’s own fears and beliefs with her lover’s love of danger and risk. Layers of metaphors lie over a simple guitar melody, reflecting the singer’s perceived love for safety and comfort. As the singer explains their lovers’ antics to make her join them in their adrenaline quest, Dacus sings some of my favorite lines in the song: “I wanna live a vibrant life but I wanna die a boring death/Not everybody gets to live a life that isn’t dangerous.”
My favorite song of the EP would have to be “Voyager.” With Bridgers leading, this soft ballad utilizes harmonies and soft guitar cords to create an almost haunting experience that left me playing the song again and again, analyzing the words like a Shakespearean sonnet. The last verse, “Walkin’ alone in the city 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.” still lingers with me even after listening to the song more than 20 times. “Voyager” truly makes you feel something. Its grief, acceptance, longing and hurt all rolled up into a 2 minute 56 second song under the guise of a simple breakup song. Bridger’s soft vocals left me staring at the wall feeling like I had just ended a 10 year relationship.
Overall, “the rest” was true to its name. It felt like a continuation of “the record”, and is best listened to as such. As a stand alone EP, it pales in comparison to “boygenius.” I only ended up adding two of the four songs to my playlist, “Voyager” and “Afraid of Heights,” but they have become some of my favorite tracks that boygenius has produced thus far.
I’m excited to see what else boygenius will come up with in the coming years.
