Under their supergroup ‘boygenius’, to call Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus geniuses is arguably accurate.
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Wishes came true for fans of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus this week. The three singer/songwriters — who have each become renowned masters of melancholic indie folk in their own rights — made music news headlines when they teased a collaborative project earlier this month, and again when they surprise-dropped a taste of what’s been tucked up their sleeves under their supergroup name, boygenius.
While this trifecta is fueled by girl power with no trace of a boy, to call Bridgers, Baker, and Dacus geniuses is arguably accurate. This genius is heard in their three devastatingly remarkable new singles: “Bite the Hand,” “Stay Down” and “Me & My Dog.”
:: stream/purchase boygenius here ::
Dacus, whose sophomore LP Historian has already been often dubbed as one of 2018’s strongest rock releases yet, introduces “Bite the Hand” with her unmistakably full-bodied timbre. A self-deprecating ballad driven by plugging guitars, the verses mull over reasons why a certain romance is doomed to collapse before the trio unites in a mixed-meter cantation for the chorus. The repeated “I can’t love you how you want me to” lulls listeners into an introspective trance.
I can’t hear you, you’re too far away
I can’t see you, the light is in my face
I can’t touch you, I wouldn’t if I could
I can’t love you how you want me to
I can’t love you how you want me to
I can’t love you how you want me to
-boygenius, “Bite the Hand”
Baker takes the lead with “Stay Down,” a painfully vulnerable account of a breakup’s violent aftermath. For devoted listeners, the track’s atmospheric orchestration draws parallels to Baker’s solo works, especially her most recent full-length, Turn Out the Lights. While her individual moments soar in “Stay Down” as per usual, the assistance of Bridgers and Dacus provide a layered amplification that perfectly lead to Baker’s raw, gut-wrenching belting of the song’s helpless title.
So would you teach me I’m the villain
Aren’t I, aren’t I the one?
Constantly repenting for a difficult mind
Push me down into the water like a sinner
Hold me under and
I’ll never come up again
I’ll just stay down
-boygenius, “Stay Down”
Lastly, for “Me & My Dog,” Bridgers yields the mellow folk and angelic vocals that made her debut album, Stranger in the Alps, one of 2017’s musical standouts. The most upbeat of the three tunes, “Me & My Dog” details a now-amicable breakup and the dichotomy of struggling to recover — while actually not being OK at all. Bridgers pleads for a peaceful escape from the sorrow in a way that’ll make any lovesick listener relate.
I never said I’d be all right
Just thought I can hold myself together
But I couldn’t breathe, I went outside
Don’t know why I thought it’d be any better
I’m fine now, it doesn’t matter
-boygenius, “Me & My Dog”
Naturally, there’s more where these three masterpieces came from; the six-track boygenius EP is due out November 9, 2018 via Matador Records, and knowing the ladies behind it, there’s going to plenty more heartbreaking lyricism, soothing melodies and goosebump-raising vocals in store. Bridgers, Baker and Dacus have established themselves as experts in somber songwriting, but ironically enough, we couldn’t be happier they’re here.
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:: stream/purchase boygenius here ::
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