| Boygenius | ||||
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | October 26, 2018 | |||
| Studio | Sound City (Van Nuys, California) | |||
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| 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 |    [12] |
| American Songwriter | [13] |
| Consequence of Sound | A [14] |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10 [15] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ [16] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10 [9] |
| NME | [17] |
| 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, except where noted
| 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" (Boygenius, Christian Lee Hutson) | 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 |
Julien Rose Baker is an American indie rock singer and guitarist. Her music is noted for its moody quality and confessional lyrical style, as well as frank explorations of topics including Christianity, addiction, mental illness, and human nature. She has received six Grammy nominations and three wins as a member of Boygenius.
Phoebe Lucille Bridgers is an American singer-songwriter. Her indie folk music typically centers around acoustic guitar and electronic production, with melancholic lyrical themes. She has received four Grammy Awards from eleven nominations.
Catherine J Marks is a record producer, mixing engineer and audio engineer. She has worked with such artists as boygenius, Foals, Manchester Orchestra, The Killers, Local Natives, Wolf Alice, Beware of Darkness, The Big Moon, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, The Amazons, Palace, Arno, Howling Bells, Sunset Sons, Alanis Morissette, Divorce, Oscar Lang and Eliza Shaddad.
Lucy Elizabeth Dacus is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Dacus attracted attention with her debut album No Burden (2016), which led to a deal with Matador Records. Historian, her second album, was released in 2018 to critical acclaim. Home Video, her third studio album, was released in 2021.
Boygenius is an American indie supergroup consisting of American singer-songwriters Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. They debuted with their self-titled EP in 2018, and then returned after a hiatus with their debut studio album, The Record (2023), which was both a critical and commercial success, winning the members three Grammy Awards. Labeled an "instant classic" by NME, it topped the charts in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands, and peaked at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200. Their second EP, The Rest, was released on October 13, 2023. The group is currently on hiatus.
Historian is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus, released on March 2, 2018, through Matador Records.
Petals for Armor is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Hayley Williams. It was released on May 8, 2020, by Atlantic Records. The album was preceded by two extended plays (EPs), Petals for Armor I and Petals for Armor II, which make up the album's first ten songs.
Punisher is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, released on June 18, 2020, by Dead Oceans. It is the follow-up to her 2017 debut album, Stranger in the Alps. In the years prior to her sophomore effort, the California native also formed the bands Boygenius and Better Oblivion Community Center.
The discography of American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers consists of two studio albums, nine extended plays, 20 singles, six promotional singles, and 12 music videos. She has also released one extended play as part of Sloppy Jane, two extended plays and one studio album as a part of Boygenius, and one studio album as part of Better Oblivion Community Center.
Bartees Leon Cox Jr., known by his stage name Bartees Strange, is an English-born American musician. Cox was born in Ipswich, England, raised in Mustang, Oklahoma, and is now based in Washington D.C.
Little Oblivions is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Julien Baker, released on February 26, 2021. Alongside the album's announcement, Baker released "Faith Healer" as the first single from the album. Little Oblivions is a departure from the acoustic alt folk of her first two albums. It features a full band sound, played almost entirely by Baker herself, with genres encompassing indie rock, alternative rock, emo, soft rock, electronic music, pop punk, post-rock, country, shoegaze, and slowcore. The album received acclaim from critics.
"I Know the End" is a song by American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. It was released on July 29, 2020 as the fourth single from her second studio album, Punisher (2020). The song is a "three-part suite" that talks about depression, euphoria, and the apocalypse that culminates in a cathartic scream. It has been described as chamber pop, though Bridgers describes it as a "big metal song". Several of Bridgers' frequent collaborators are featured on the song, including Boygenius bandmates Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, Better Oblivion Community Center bandmate Conor Oberst, and Copycat Killer producer Rob Moose.
2019 is a compilation extended play by American singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus. It was released on November 8, 2019 through Matador Records. The EP is a concept album that compiles seven singles released throughout the year to honor various holidays. 2019 went on to peak at number 22 on the US Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, making it her first charting album in the country.
Home Video is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus. It was released on June 25, 2021, via Matador. It was promoted by the singles "Thumbs", "Hot & Heavy", "VBS", "Brando", and "Going Going Gone". The album received critical acclaim and placed on many critics' year-end lists.
"Night Shift" is a song by American indie rock musician Lucy Dacus. It was released as the lead single from her album Historian on December 12, 2017.
The Record is the debut studio album by American indie rock supergroup Boygenius, consisting of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. It was released on March 31, 2023, through Interscope Records.
"Not Strong Enough" is a song by American supergroup Boygenius. It was released on March 1, 2023, as the second single from their debut studio album The Record, where it appears as the sixth track. Written by all three members of the band—Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus—"Not Strong Enough" is an indie rock, folk rock, and country pop song about mental illness and resultant relationship dysfunction.
The Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers with Lucy Dacus Tour was a co-headlining concert tour with indie rock musicians Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, collectively known as Boygenius.
The Rest is the second extended play by American indie rock supergroup Boygenius, released through Interscope Records on October 13, 2023. A follow-up to the band's first full-length album The Record, individual songs were revealed one at a time while on tour, eventually performing the entire EP. The EP has received positive reviews from critics.
