Boygenius [EP]

Bridgers stans a noirish, haunting, folk-pop, Baker an emotionally-scorching rock and Dacus a literary take on guitar music. On boygenius, however, the three become one, miraculously and pristinely so. Bridgers, Baker and Dacus pack a novel’s worth of narrative and as many masterful melodies (not to mention harmonies) into just 21 minutes that will leave you feeling as if you’ve had the wind knocked right out of you.

If the music here has the ebb and flow of more than one era, the lyrics wield sharper teeth. [2 Nov 2018, p.49]

For anyone still struggling to tell any woman with a guitar apart, the deft collaboration and complex collective songwriting on the boygenius EP is a great place to learn.

The folk-rock harmonies weave seamlessly through the mist of spindly guitars and echoey ambience and the democratically allocated lead duties almost always blur back into a collective voice.

All these songs stand out for their craftsmanship and collaboration, not only between three artists but also three friends.

It’s when they come together on closer ‘Ketchum, ID’, an ode to the state of Idaho and the detachment of constant touring, that boygenius really comes into its own and sees the project become more than the sum of its parts.

Lyrically, all three mine traditionally sombre territory in their solo work, tying into broader cultural conversations regarding gender and mental health, and the words of boygenius maintain the same power and urgency.

The boygenius EP marks a stunning release from three singular artists. Hearing them integrate their particular gifts would be worth a listen alone, but the performances are so remarkable that the disc's background becomes trivial.

Where this EP lacks in progression, it makes up for in the strength of the songwriting.

The fact that there isn’t much variety in the approach is somewhat forgivable at the shorter EP length. boygenius may be a one-off, but there is great potential there for more should they abide, what with their top-notch songwriting and three voices that coexist much more smoothly than the couples depicted in their songs.

Taken in as a small cache of excellent songs by three of the more talented songwriters of their era, Boygenius is a wonderful starting point, setting the scene for future collaborations that push into places each member couldn't get to on her own.