boygenius - the record

HairBodyFace

HairBodyFace

Yeah, I physically can't stop playing this song and I can explain why. It's giving me some kind of canny valley feeling, for some reason. Like the euphoric feeling I get at some pictures.

I've had to replay three or four parts because they made me feel kind of physically immaculate and I couldn't stomach getting to a point where the song was over and no longer playing.

I truly can’t explain why I'm having this amazing reaction, and I'm physically elevated by this song.

I really hope someone gets this post
 
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borneoman

borneoman

Does anyone know how big is the place they're playing in London? Cos it's a huge park and online it says capacity 30,000 but cannot really see them selling so much, guess they will play in just one field or something. Anyone knows?
 
xOJakeXo

xOJakeXo

he/him
oneofmanynicks said:
I have never once paid any of these women an ounce of attention until today. I decided to give Not Strong Enough a go on a whim and it… kind of destroyed me? An emotionally taxing stunner in the best way possible.
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All of their solo albums are great, but the most recent three from each show how much they've leveled up. I think this album could be one of the best things from any of them, too.
 
xOJakeXo

xOJakeXo

he/him
Great album. I've listened through a handful of times and it's special to hear these three artists bring themselves to a single record. There are so many devastating couplets, and it's clear why Julien, Lucy, and Phoebe click. They all have a quiet yet brutal way of describing relationships, both with others and themselves.

It's a tough call but I think Julien Baker is a secret weapon on these songs. The tracks she leads - $20 and Anti-Curse - definitely recall her latest album in terms of their fuller rock sound. Her voice cutting through the guitars always gives me a rush, like on the "I'm swimming back" line on Anti-Curse. Then there's Lucy Dacus, the silent assassin who just continuously delivers little cuts until you bleed out. We're In Love and True Blue are both show-stopping moments, and the line about moving to Chicago, myself having just moved to Chicago, always gets me.

Again, splitting hairs but I think Phoebe's contributions show the least development. Julien and Lucy's recent albums are their most realized work, and so is Punisher! But it does make the Phoebe moments sound like Punisher songs. Not a bad thing by any means, but maybe takes you out of the listening experience. That doesn't stop the songs from being good, because they definitely are. The Me & My Dog interpolation at the end of Letter To an Old Poet is a revelation.

Not Strong Enough remains the best song on the record, and I would have loved more anthemic moments like that. Satanist and Cool About it, the other two that feel the most "supergroup" sounding, are also brilliant. Between these songs and the EP, the live shows are going to be great.
 
Someboy

Someboy

I... don't think this album works, actually. It's very predictable, at times abandons any sense of craft for ambient noise, and the pacing is off, whenever the gears get going someone jams the emergency break and stays still for what feels like an eternity. It's too cool for its own good.
 
Soygirl

Soygirl

Hmm, I’m feeling a bit conflicted about this album too. It feels very disjointed overall. Can we all agree that we need to stop this trend of artists putting these semi or full fledged interludes that serve no function on the album? Unless it’s Janet moaning into mic for 15 seconds I don’t want it.

Not Strong Enough is still the song of the year though.
 
HairBodyFace

HairBodyFace

I do really enjoy the album! But Not Strong Enough is still the strongest song here to these ears. It’s a great listen though and they’re all so talented.

I found myself loving Lucy’s parts the most, her voice is so unique…there’s a warm quality of it that’s almost reminiscent of Judy Garland? I love it.
 
Blond

Blond

Really enjoyed this on first listen. I agree about Not Strong Enough being the best song on here but there are no skips at all and the lyrics and vocals are great (as expected).
 
RJF

RJF

Someboy said:
I... don't think this album works, actually. It's very predictable, at times abandons any sense of craft for ambient noise, and the pacing is off, whenever the gears get going someone jams the emergency break and stays still for what feels like an eternity. It's too cool for its own good.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think the album is a miss, generally, and maybe even a little pointless. It feels shockingly… uncollaborative? Like it’s three separate EPs from each of them put on shuffle. Literally everything could be from each woman’s respective last album. I’d be curious to know the origins of a lot of the songs - if they all just came in with demos that the other two occcasionally did cooing backing vocals on. It also feels frustratingly short? Like you said, any hint of momentum and things slam to a stop.

By their sheer pedigree as songwriters, it’s not a bad album. I just don’t see the need for it to exist outside of giving Phoebe some friends to share setlist time with in venues she could probably fill on her own.

“Not Strong Enough” is the only song that feels like genuinely new ground for everyone involved. Everyone is a little out of their comfort zone and it works. In that vein, another banger wouldn’t have gone amiss in a rather morose, crawling tracklist. I don’t know. The whole thing is just a bit surface level for me. I’m disappointed.
 
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