| Boygenius | ||||
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | October 26, 2018 | |||
| Studio | Sound City (Van Nuys, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 21:56 | |||
| Label | Matador | |||
| Producer | ||||
| boygenius chronology | ||||
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| Julien Baker chronology | ||||
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| Phoebe Bridgers chronology | ||||
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| Lucy Dacus chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Boygenius | ||||
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Boygenius is the debut EP by American indie supergroup Boygenius,composed of Julien Baker,Phoebe Bridgers,and Lucy Dacus. It was released on October 26,2018,by Matador Records.
Singer-songwriters Julien Baker,Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus self-produced and recorded the EP over four days in June 2018 at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. [3] [4] The three made the decision to hire exclusively women for the process. [5] Each member of the group brought one mostly-finished song to the studio that received further input from the other two;Baker contributed "Stay Down",Bridgers contributed "Me &My Dog",and Dacus contributed "Bite the Hand". Three additional songs emerged during the recording process from the trio's own demos. [5] [6]
Baker,Bridgers and Dacus formally announced the formation of Boygenius in August 2018. On the same day,three singles,"Bite The Hand","Stay Down" and "Me &My Dog" were released,and their eponymous EP was scheduled for release on November 9. [7] On October 26,the EP was released digitally,two weeks ahead of schedule. [8]
The album's cover is a reference to Crosby,Stills &Nash ,the self-titled 1969 debut album by the American folk-rock supergroup consisting of David Crosby,Stephen Stills,and Graham Nash. [9]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.0/10 [10] |
| Metacritic | 84/100 [11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| American Songwriter | |
| Consequence of Sound | A [14] |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10 [15] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ [16] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10 [9] |
| NME | |
| Paste | 8.8/10 [18] |
| Pitchfork | 8.3/10 [19] |
| PopMatters | 8/10 [20] |
Boygenius has received acclaim from critics. At Metacritic,which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications,the album received an average score of 84,based on 13 reviews. [11] Rhian Daly of NME gave the EP a perfect score,stating "it serves as a reminder of each musician's particular powers –Bridgers' ability to spin haunting,poetic folk-pop out of beautiful simplicity;Dacus' sage and,often,wry indie-rock;and Baker's dramatic,emo-tinged exorcisms of emotion." [17]
In a review for Pitchfork ,Dayna Evans rated the album 8.3/10,writing that each member of Boygenius performs in "distinct musical styles":"For Bridgers,an intimate voice and shy guitar with a folkier bedroom softness;Baker,enormous emo minor tones and a voice that could blow down a building;Dacus,vocals that are clear and confrontational and a guitar shrouded in fuzz. When performed together,it yields an effective kind of magic." [19]
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2018 | 7 | |
| Esquire | Top 20 Albums of 2018 | 11 | |
| Flood | Top 25 Albums of 2018 | 13 | |
| NPR Music | Top 50 Albums of 2018 | 12 | |
| Under the Radar | Top 100 Albums of 2018 | 3 | |
| The Wild Honey Pie | Top 30 Albums of 2018 | 3 |
All tracks are written by Boygenius (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus), except "Ketchum, ID", written by Boygenius and Christian Lee Hutson.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bite the Hand" | 3:12 |
| 2. | "Me & My Dog" | 3:26 |
| 3. | "Souvenir" | 3:32 |
| 4. | "Stay Down" | 4:00 |
| 5. | "Salt in the Wound" | 4:11 |
| 6. | "Ketchum, ID" | 3:35 |
| Total length: | 21:56 | |
Credits adapted from liner notes. [27]
Boygenius
Additional personnel
| Chart (2018–2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [28] | 26 |
| UK Album Sales (OCC) [29] | 85 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [30] | 10 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [31] | 33 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [32] | 24 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [33] | 3 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) [34] | 9 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard) [35] | 15 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) [36] | 8 |