The Record (Boygenius album)
| The Record | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 31, 2023 | |||
| Studio | Shangri-La (Malibu), Sound City Studios (Van Nuys) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:13 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Producer |
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| 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 The Record | ||||
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The Record (stylized in all lowercase) 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.
The Record received critical acclaim, and was awarded perfect scores by the likes of DIY, NME and Rolling Stone. It went on to top the charts in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, marking the first number-one album for all band members, and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200.
The Record received seven nominations at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year. It received three awards, including Best Alternative Music Album.
Background
After releasing their debut self-titled EP Boygenius in 2018, the trio had since been working on their solo projects and had all released their respective albums—Little Oblivions by Julien Baker, Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers, and Home Video by Lucy Dacus—before performing as a group for the first time in 3 years on November 19, 2021. Rumours about a debut album from Boygenius began spreading in late 2022 to 2023, after the trio was spotted in a photoshoot together in November 2022 and after Boygenius was announced to be on the 2023 Coachella lineup on January 10, 2023.
Release
On January 18, 2023, Boygenius announced the album, along with the release of three lead singles, "$20", "Emily I'm Sorry", and "True Blue".
On March 1, 2023, Boygenius released the album's fourth single "Not Strong Enough", along with an accompanying music video edited by Bridgers' brother Jackson Bridgers. The song was sent to adult album alternative and alternative radio in the United States on March 13 and March 28, 2023, respectively.
The B-side of the vinyl version of the record ends with a locked groove at the end of "Letter to an Old Poet," resulting in the group repeating the phrase "waiting" until the listener lifts the needle.
The Film
On March 30, 2023, Boygenius released "The Film", a promotional short film for the album, featuring the videos for all three singles, "$20", "Emily I'm Sorry", and "True Blue". The videos are interconnected with visual details.
"The Film" was directed by Kristen Stewart, and was launched with a proper film premiere at the El Rey Theatre, a live music venue in Los Angeles. The premiere was followed by a live Q&A with the band, for the press and fans.
Touring and promotion
The group embarked on two tours to support the album, the Re:SET Concert Series in June 2023, and their own The Tour from April to October 2023. The Tour saw the band notably play Coachella, Pukkelpop in Belgium, Connect Music Festival in the UK and Rock en Seine in France.
The band also performed "Not Strong Enough" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and during Bridgers' opening set for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour in Nashville.
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 90/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Clash | 7/10 |
| DIY | |
| Exclaim! | 8/10 |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10 |
| NME | |
| Mojo | |
| Pitchfork | 8.2/10 |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Slant Magazine |  |
On review aggregator website Metacritic, The Record holds a score of 90 out of 100, based on reviews from 26 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". A five-star review by NME raved that The Record was an "instant classic" as a result of each Boygenius member "getting to know each other artistically and collaboratively". Rolling Stone wrote that Boygenius were able to "transcend any kind of 'supergroup' cliché" through "recombining their individual styles into a different kind of chemistry for each song". Matthew Neale of Clash praised Lucy Dacus' contributions to the album in particular with tracks "True Blue" and "We're in Love". John Amen of PopMatters wrote, "Democratically curated and effusing a palpable enthusiasm, [The Record] stands as a testimony to the power of aesthetic commonality, enduring friendship, and the magic of teamwork, something we could all use more of these days." Kyle Lemmon of Flood Magazine stated that The Record "just plain rips as an indie-rock record".
In June 2023, Alternative Press published an unranked list of the top 25 albums of the year to date and included this release, stating that it finds "harmony and balance between each of the unique three artists involved". Editors at PopMatters chose this as the second best rock album of 2023. Rolling Stone's top 100 albums of the year included this work at second place. Pitchfork ranked it the 16th best album of 2023. Editors at NME named this album of the year.
Accolades
| Association | Year | Nominated Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Award | 2024 | The Record | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| Best Alternative Music Album | Won | |||
| Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical | Nominated | |||
| "Not Strong Enough" | Record of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best Rock Song | Won | |||
| Best Rock Performance | Won | |||
| "Cool About It" | Best Alternative Music Performance | Nominated |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Boygenius (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus), except "Leonard Cohen" (written by Boygenius, HoJun Yu and Leonard Cohen) and "Cool About It" (written by Boygenius and Paul Simon).
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Without You Without Them" |
| 1:21 |
| 2. | "$20" | Baker | 3:20 |
| 3. | "Emily I'm Sorry" | Bridgers | 3:34 |
| 4. | "True Blue" | Dacus | 4:56 |
| 5. | "Cool About It" |
| 3:00 |
| 6. | "Not Strong Enough" |
| 3:54 |
| 7. | "Revolution 0" | Bridgers | 4:17 |
| 8. | "Leonard Cohen" | Dacus | 1:42 |
| 9. | "Satanist" |
| 4:50 |
| 10. | "We're in Love" | Dacus | 4:54 |
| 11. | "Anti-Curse" | Baker | 3:18 |
| 12. | "Letter to an Old Poet" | Bridgers | 3:07 |
| Total length: | 42:13 | ||
Notes
- "Leonard Cohen" contains portions of "Anthem" written and performed by Leonard Cohen.
- "Letter to an Old Poet" contains interpolations of "Me & My Dog" written and performed by Boygenius.
- In the liner notes of the album, songwriter Paul Simon is thanked for inspiration on "Cool About It".
Personnel
- Boygenius – production, performance
- Catherine Marks – co-production, recording, performance
- Tony Berg – additional production
- Ethan Gruska – additional production, performance
- Melina Duterte – additional production, performance
- Sarah Tudzin – additional production, performance
- Kaushlesh "Garry" Purohit – engineering
- Bobby Mota – engineering
- Owen Lantz – engineering
- Will Maclellan – engineering
- Mike Mogis – mixing
- Pat Sullivan – mastering
- Carla Azar – performance
- Jacob Blizard – performance
- Anna Butterss – performance
- Barbara Gruska – performance
- Rob Moose – performance
- Sebastian Steinberg – performance
- Marshall Vore – performance
- Matt Grubb – album artwork
The Tour
| Tour by Boygenius | |
| Location | North America and Europe |
|---|---|
| Associated album | The Record |
| Start date | April 13, 2023 |
| End date | October 31, 2023 |
| Legs | 3 |
| No. of shows | 36 |
| Website | xboygeniusx |
| Boygenius concert chronology | |
The Tour is the second concert tour by American indie rock supergroup Boygenius, in support of their debut album The Record. The tour was announced on March 28, 2023, and began on April 13, 2023.
Background
In 2018, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus booked a co-headlining tour together, and, after booking the tour, decided to record a six-song EP to help promote the tour. The three ended up forming a band called boygenius, coming on stage together at the end of each show and playing the entire EP. In 2023, the group returned with the announcement of their debut album, The Record. That same month, the group also announced they would be heading out on the Re:SET Concert Series. With the Re:SET Concert Series only hitting select cities, the group announced a proper headlining tour to hit markets not part of the concert series. In February, they announced their first concerts in the United Kingdom and Europe. A final fall US leg of the tour was announced in July including shows at Madison Square Garden and the Hollywood Bowl.
Reception
Reviewing the opening show in Pomona, Chris Willman of Variety described it as a "galvanizing gig", further commended Boygenius as they "managed to find the ideal balance and blend of voices, personalities and musical sensibilities".
Set list
This set list is representative of the show on September 28, 2023 in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. It does not represent all dates throughout the tour.
- "Without You Without Them" (from backstage)
- "$20"
- "Satanist"
- "Emily I'm Sorry"
- "True Blue"
- "Cool About It"
- "Souvenir"
- "Bite the Hand"
- "Revolution 0"
- "Stay Down"
- "Leonard Cohen"
- "Please Stay" (Lucy Dacus song)
- "Favor" (Julien Baker song)
- "Graceland Too" (Phoebe Bridgers song)
- "Voyager" (live debut)
- "We're in Love"
- "Anti-Curse"
- "Letter to an Old Poet"
- "Not Strong Enough"
- "Salt in the Wound"
Encore
- "Ketchum, ID"
- "Salt in the Wound"
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 60,000‡ |
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‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||