There's a certain genius to how female indie musicians Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus have banded together under the name boygenius (yes, all lowercase). The aim here, it seems, is to draw attention away from their gender that's often taken for granted in the male-dominated scene. Having met and bonded at the same tours and festivals over the years, the three artists realised that, not only do they share artistic visions, they also complement one another's talents.
Which brings us to their self-titled collaborative debut, a six-track EP recorded over the course of just four days. It opens with Bite The Hand, a rock ballad led by Dacus. "I can't hear you, you're too far away," she begins in the opening verse over her signature slow-burning guitar. Baker and Bridges then chime in, rounding it out with a harmonised refrain: "I can't love you how you want me to."
On the similar-sounding Me & My Dog, Bridgers brings her tender, folk-inflected vocals to the fore as she muses about being "emaciated" and how she wishes she "was on a spaceship" with her dog "and an impossible view". Souvenir and Stay Down see Memphis native Baker in her indie-rock element. Her songwriting remains both vivid and vital. "Always managed to move in/ Right next to the cemeteries," she sings in the former and "I look at you and you look at a screen" on the latter.
Returning to take the lead on Salt In The Wound, Dacus ruminates on an unreciprocated relationship. "But you take and you take/ Like silks up my sleeve," she sings in tandem with her collaborators. "Trick after trick/ I make the magic/ And you unrelentingly ask for the secret." Ketchum, ID caps off the EP with a quiet acoustic ballad about the shared sentiment of isolation ("I am never anywhere/ Anywhere I go/ When I'm home, I'm never there/ Long enough to know).
Quotable lyrics: "Dreamcatcher in the rearview mirror/ Hasn't caught a thing yet/ Twenty dollars in souvenirs/ Anything's worth trying" (Souvenir).
The verdict: Another solid proof that female artists can easily contend with the best of them. Listen to this: Bite The Hand, Souvenir, Salt In The Wound.
THE PLAYLIST
Ariana Grande / Thank U, Next
Despite its brusque title, Ariana Grande's latest cut, Thank U, Next, is actually quite amicable for a song dedicated to former lovers. Having recently come off of a relationship with her ex-fiancé, SNL comedian Pete Davidson, she's chosen to take the high road, opting to express forgiveness and gratitude instead of resentment. "One taught me love/ One taught me patience/ And one taught me pain," she sings after checking off a litany of past boyfriends which includes Mac Miller, an American rapper who's passed away back in September. But as the shimmering production unfurls, she learns to find love and solace -- both in those around her ("Spend more time with my friends/ I ain't worried about nothin") and within herself ("I met someone else… I know they say I move on too fast/ But this one gonna last/ 'Cause her name is Ari/ And I'm so good with that").
Beach House / Alien
On their latest LP, last year's 7, Beach House have given us a glimpse into the new reality they've found themselves in as a long-serving indie duo. Together, vocalist Victoria Legrand and guitarist Alex Scally moved on from their dream pop days and finally landed at shoegaze-leaning psychedelic pop -- the sound which extends beautifully to Alien, an outtake from their 7 recording sessions. "City light/ White on white/ In your eyes/ Stings your face," Legrand coos, her laconic lyrics still speak volumes. "Sorry sometimes I get carried away," she repeats among lurching guitars and roaring drums.
Daniel Didyasarin / Kruangbin (Aeroplanes)
True-blue alt-rock may be hard to come by these days, but Daniel Didyasarin is hoping to turn that around with his solo material. Preceded by Koi Du and Tae Kon, Kruangbin (Aeroplanes) marks his third Thai-language single and his best to date. Taking cue from 90s grunge and alternative rock, the emerging Thai-American singer-songwriter recreates the era's iconic Wall of Sound, coupling it with no-frills lyrics that compares his lover to a plane that's always taking off: "You're absent from my heart/ And from my side/ You're not there to say 'bye bye'/ I guess I'm just delusional."
The Good, The Bad & The Queen / Merrie Land
"If you're leaving please still say goodbye/ And if you are leaving can you leave me my silver jubilee mug," quips Damon Albarn on the supergroup's first single since its debut release in 2007. Fitting then, since this is written with the whole racket that is Brexit in mind. Over the warped waltz time signature, he proceeds breathlessly, further touching upon "the dark ponds of Merrie England", "two hundred plastic bags in a whale's stomach", all the way down to how Brits are essentially "a shaking wreck where nothing grows". The track is lifted from the eponymous new record -- a work described by Albarn as "a reluctant goodbye letter".
Friendly Fires / Heaven Let Me In
It's been long six months since Friendly Fires teased their forthcoming third LP with Love Like Waves. And just as we thought we'd be stuck with that song forever, the UK trio thankfully bestow upon us with its long-awaited follow-up, Heaven Let Me In. Co-produced by dance duo Disclosure, the club-ready track samples Shalamar's 1980 hit, I Owe You One, and features the lyrics that gravitate towards spiritual. "Since I made a decision to free my soul/ You know that I'm fine with the things that I can't control," loose-hipped frontman Ed Macfarlane sermonises like a true patron saint of the dancefloor that he is.
