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 | |
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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. |
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Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2018 | 7
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Esquire | Top 20 Albums of 2018 | 11
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Flood | Top 25 Albums of 2018 | 13
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NPR Music | Top 50 Albums of 2018 | 12
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Under the Radar | Top 100 Albums of 2018 | 3
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The Wild Honey Pie | Top 30 Albums of 2018 | 3
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All tracks are written by Boygenius, except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
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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 |
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Scottish Albums ( OCC) [28] | 26 |
UK Album Sales ( OCC) [29] | 85
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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 |