The Record, a Boygenius album released in March of 2023, is both unique and generic. The lyrics on this album are creative and beautiful. They are clearly a product of passion for poetry. Each of the songs are woven together by the questions of “Who are you for someone?” and “How do you change yourself for someone else?”
At the end of “$20,” a song that uses a breaking down car to symbolize a relationship that is coming to an end, the line “Wait on me, I’m not ready I still have to change,” alludes to how compromise can turn into one person changing who they are to keep the relationship alive. This idea reappears in the song “Emily, I’m Sorry” with the line, “I can feel myself becoming somebody I’m not”.
The idea of having a grasp on who you are is something that most people can relate to, as well as navigating a relationship with someone who loves, but hurts you in some way, shape, or form. The lyrics in this album are more than just words that rhyme. The messages are not just laid out in plain sight, they are wrapped in metaphors.
Poetry in music is not as common in what is currently popular as it was before the 21st century. Lyricists of the 60’s and 70’s are still listened to now- Billy Joel, Marvin Gaye, The Beatles, Queen, Earth Wind and Fire, and Fleetwood Mac – their music is timeless.
The difference between all those guys and Boygenius is that Boygenius only has their lyrics. They don’t have the ingenious instrumental to go with their ingenious lyrics. The instrumental is basically just background music. There is nothing special or personalized about it.
Their song “Cool About It” has almost the exact same instrumentation as “Hey There Delilah” by The Plain White Tees. When that sound was used with “Hey There Delilah” it was new and fresh. It’s not new or fresh anymore.
As for the other songs, they have the same sulky music as every other alternative song written right now.
I think the best song on The Record is “Without You Without Them”, and it’s no coincidence that it just happens to be the only a cappella song on the album.
If Boygenius put as much of their focus on making original music as they put into writing these, really sublime, lyrics then they could take something that’s already pretty cool to the next level.
