When people hear about alternative band boygenius, usually they gravitate toward Phoebe Bridgers, a breakout indie singer who achieved mass critical acclaim for her second album “Punisher,” which dropped in 2020. While Bridgers is a talented force, it’s also important to give credit to her fellow bandmates, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, which has long been overdue.
Baker and Dacus are both artists that have been deeply influenced by Bridgers, evident in their songwriting and production, but they also each are individual storytellers, pulling from their own life experiences to create songs and albums that have become beloved ones within the alternative scene.
For example, Dacus’ “Night Shift,” a six-minute ballad that recently went viral for the singer’s wailing and raw lyricism, is now considered a staple within her discography. Because of its random overnight success, Dacus recently created a music video for the 2018 track, in which Bridgers was featured in. What makes this song so remarkable though is the singer’s vulnerability, and honestly, it can be compared to the likes of iconic breakup anthems like Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).”
Additionally, the album “Night Shift” is featured on, “Historian,” and has also become a part of Dacus’ legacy. Five years ago, Pitchfork ranked the album an 8.1, which was rare for a newcomer, saying, “... the Virginia songwriter doesn’t merely reckon with loss; she tells a story about the way people carry each other through time.” Meanwhile, Rolling Stone said “Historian” “... is a uniquely powerful mix of conversational detail and glorious guitar heroics.”
Clearly, at just 23 years old, Dacus proved her musical genius to the industry’s biggest critics, which is another reason to highlight the singer as one of alternative music’s latest pioneers. Likewise, Baker is also one of these pioneers, having similar successes of Dacus and Bridgers in recent years as well.
Baker’s third album “Little Oblivions,” which was released two years ago via Matador Records, serving as her breakout after entering the industry in 2015. Unveiling an emotional tracklist that dealt with the themes of losing control, mental spiraling and heartbreak, the album also received high praise.
In a review of “Little Oblivious,” The Guardian said, “These are tales about falling off the wagon, spectacularly; about hurting herself and other people, repeatedly, fleshed out by bass, drums and synths, most often played by Baker herself. Where her previous records tiptoed, “Little Oblivions” stomps on effects pedals.
Yet, Baker should also be praised for overcoming substance abuse, a commonality that haunts much of the industry, as well as being open about her queerness within her music. These two aspects of the singer are what have helped build her fanbase, as Baker has become a symbol of hope and courage for musicians and fans similar to her.
Now, Baker and Dacus have again joined forces with Bridgers to create boygenius’s first album “the record,” which has only been out for a few days. Luckily, the new record emphasizes and spotlights their vocals instead of suppressing them to make room for Bridgers, a great production move on all three of them.
For example, you can hear Baker’s grave voice clearly on “$20,” as well as her perfect harmonies with Dacus and Bridgers. Meanwhile on “True Blue,” Dacus’s lyrics and vocals are at the forefront, with her bandmates only coming in subtly to help amplify the track’s themes of sadness and nostalgia.
All in all, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus are two artists who both have proved themselves throughout the years, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be put on the same pedestal as Bridgers. Both open and vulnerable in their crafts, the world needs to be talking more about these two singers, especially after boygenius just released arguably one of the best albums of 2023.
