“I just make it up as I go along,” Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker sing in harmony on “Emily I’m Sorry,” a track from Boygenius’s full-length debut, The Record. While the trio—specifically Bridgers, who leads this particular song—are addressing a lover, they might as well be referring to the structural approach to many of the songs on the album, which feel shapeless and meandering.
One doesn’t expect the songs here to follow conventional pop idiom, but the supergroup is often unable to sustain grooves, and the riffs throughout the album often lack dynamism. On the Baker-fronted “Anti-Curse,” for instance, the same guitar chord is repeated ad nauseam at the beginning and middle portions of the track, before the arrangement diversifies a bit in the final stretch. But even then, the power chords that the band leans on aren’t given much variance.
Dacus’s “True Blue” is similarly hemmed in by its repetitive guitar work. When the song moves into its ostensible bridge, it doesn’t jump an octave or two but rather ascends a mere couple of notes, barely registering as a tonal shift. After nearly five minutes, the track awkwardly fades out, as if the band decided that things had to end somewhere.
Thankfully, the songwriting fairs better lyrically than it does musically. Bridgers delivers many of the best lines, alight with vividly rendered detail. “Once I took your medication to know what it’s like,” she sings on “Cool About It,” which pays homage to Simon & Garfunkel with its softly sung melodies and swiftly picked acoustic guitar. Her vocals can verge on somnolent, but a pair of lines from “Revolution 0” and “Letter to an Old Poet” inject much-needed energy into the songs: She threatens to kick someone’s teeth in on the former, and on the latter she proclaims, “You think you’re a good person because you think you won’t punch me in the stomach?”
These bursts of violent imagery sung in a narcotic lilt are indicative of an album that shifts (sometimes) satisfyingly between hushed tones and punchy noise. The bluegrass a cappella opener, “Without You Without Them,” gives way to the snappy electric guitars of “$20” with emphatic impact. On the other hand, “Satanist,” an attempt at a rousing post-punk number, missteps in its transition from an upbeat, successfully muscular approach to a glacial slow march, marked by drawn-out vocals and measured playing, in its final stretch. Rather than rev back up, however, it’s a missed opportunity to harness all of the previously accumulated momentum while accentuating the track’s quiet/loud contrast.
“Satanist” also functions as a rebuke of Dacus and Baker’s Christian upbringings. With its self-conscious calls to arms—“Will you be a nihilist with me?”—the song aims to undermine the tendency toward histrionic worship music that’s present mostly in Baker’s solo work but also bleeds into “Not Strong Enough” here. Although obviously playful, “Satanist” is rebellious cosplay, diverting but ultimately unconvincing.
Throughout The Record, Bridgers, Dacus, and Baker frequently return to the idea of an elusive search for identity. But they don’t seem to have found clarification just yet, failing to land on a collective identity or collaborative creative method that complements their myriad talents.
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now why are white men reviewing boygenius
mind you, boygenius is white as well
Slant magazine want to be the new Pitchfork so bad 50/100 is criminal for these women
LOLZ. Pretty much the exact opposite of every other review I’ve read so far. Tells me all I need to know (about ‘The Record’ and Slant).
“Not Strong Enough” is one of the best f***ing songs I’ve heard in years. Barely mentioned. Wut?
this review lacks a sense of identity or perspective. it starts by detailing a struggle for identity and cohesion, but fails to substantiate that claim. this is a meandering and shallow read of this album and does not do justice to the actual work.
Agreed
This supergroup is 3 of the most popular and successful queer women in this genre of music right now and they all have undeniable chemistry. Even the worst result from them couldn’t be a 2.5/10. You’re not Pitchfork no matter how hard you try to be. Honestly, this smells like misogyny. Embarrassing review.
What in the review could reasonably be interpreted as misogyny? What level of critique would be acceptable without being dubbed misogyny? The writer doesn’t think the album is especially good but doesn’t lambast it either, highlighting what he perceives as areas it excels as well. And based on the last sentence, I’d assume he thinks rather highly of their solo work but finds the album doesn’t reach that level.
Admittedly, I find it perplexing that fans of all sorts of things–movies (see a portion of Star Wars fans, for instance), bands, TV shows, etc.–seem increasingly adamant that everyone, especially critics, hold what they love with the same level of esteem. Who cares?
What has queerness got do with this bland pop band? Would they be better or worse if they weren’t?
You should delete this dumbass article while you still have the chance
I don’t know of a circumstance in which a review has been retracted, but if ever there has ever been a time where a retraction has been so necessary, it is now. There is something unsettling about a man giving a poor review of an album that has been flooded with incredible reviews otherwise… a review being anonymous doesn’t make you different, it just weakens your integrity as a music reviewer.
I would like everyone in the comments to think about how stupid you sound for just one moment and never engage with music criticism again. This man went to vassar college he’s not mad at a bunch of white queer women he’s mad the musics trash 😭
What does him going to Vassar have to do with anything here? It’s a half thought out review. Give them a less than glowing review, sure, but it really doesn’t feel like he listened to the album. The criticism feels superficial and half formed, especially compared to some of the other reviews from more esteemed publications. Going to Vassar doesn’t give you a pass to write half baked music analysis, but apparently it’ll make you sanctimonious.
It was a joke about the queerness of a liberal arts school in reference to another comment that I as a queer person found really funny. My actual point was you all sound very stupid trying to devalue a review that makes clear, reasonable arguments about the shortfalls of an album. It’s an embarrassing reaction to an album I’m assuming most of the commenters haven’t heard yet.
What are the clear arguments?
You’re just a man, it’s just what you do.
omg, not after rating Lana’s newest album as a 60 lol. It’s deeply concerning. Now tell me, slant magazine, ARE YOU OK???????
this is a horrific take. objectively terrible. it’s one thing if they don’t do it for you sonically but another to blatantly ignore the insane artistry at play on this album. i have genuinely no idea what you’re talking about.
Finally! I was wondering where the adults who actually listened to this thing were hiding. All the other reviews have been so teeming with hyperbole, I was wondering if a prerequisite to reviewing this thing was that you had to be younger than 12 and have actually never heard music before. Basically, “Cool About It” is a legitimately strong track and $20 is a pretty decent rocker. The rest of the album is nothing more than a perfectly serviceable children’s record.
this review makes very little sense unless you hate music as an art form. stick to government contracts.
Terrible review. Truly. I basically feel completely the opposite but this isn’t even a well-written critical piece. They each have their own separate musical identity and it blends together beautifully track to track throughout. Listen and confirm this for yo’self.
Spot on. I listened to their stuff and felt nothing but boredom and second-hand cringe.