When I heard the powerhouse indie/alt super-group boygenius, made up of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus, had announced that they were finally releasing a debut album together, I wasn’t surprised. To the delight of myself and many fans, rumors of a debut boygenius album had been swirling on the internet ever since their appearance on the Coachella festival lineup.
If you didn’t know, back in 2018, the three artists, all at various points in their careers, joined efforts to create a uniquely gut-wrenching extended play titled “boygenius.” This was just the start; fans of all three eagerly anticipated more music from the trio. After five years, boygenius’s debut album, “the record,” will be released on March 31, and three singles are available now.
“$20,” initially written by Baker outside of the group, features heavy tones of angst and melancholia over a track that calls on the soft punk influences of Baker’s solo work.
“Emily I’m Sorry,” also initially written outside of the group, this time by Bridgers, is a crooning ballad whose lyrics pay close attention to detail in the true fashion of Bridgers’s style.
The final single “True Blue,” primarily written by Dacus, highlights the soothing harmonies of the group and Dacus’s amorous lyrical themes.
There is no doubt that “the record” will steal the show for music in 2023. However, boygenius isn’t the only band that is back after a bit of a break and working on other projects.
Next up, The National, an alternative band from Cincinnati, Ohio, just announced their new album “First Two Pages of Frankenstein” and has garnered widespread attention for its slew of collaborations. Features include Taylor Swift on “The Alcott,” Bridgers on “This Isn’t Helping” and “Your Mind Is Not Your Friend” and Sufjan Stevens on “Once Upon a Poolside.”
The album will be released on April 28, and the first single “Tropic Morning News,” is out now.
Aaron Dessner, a founding member of The National, spent the last few years exploring collaborations with other artists, including the Grammy-winning “folklore” and Swift’s second pandemic album “evermore.” Dessner has also written and produced music with Girl in Red, Clairo, and Gracie Abrams, solidifying himself as a musical force to be reckoned with.
Finally, for what might be my most anticipated record of the year, Lana del Rey will be releasing an album entitled “Did you know there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” on March 24. The title track was released as a single on Dec. 7.
The New York City native, whose most recent release was in 2021 with the album “Blue Banisters,” one of my personal favorites, has kept a low profile in the last few years. She made this most recent album announcement on her private Instagram account, which is named after her 2015 album “Honeymoon.”
The forthcoming album will include features from many artists, but the one I’m looking forward to the most is “Margaret” featuring Bleachers, whose frontman, Jack Antonoff, produced del Rey’s Grammy-nominated 2019 album “Norman F***ing Rockwell!” Antonoff has also produced with the likes of Clairo, Lorde, and Taylor Swift, winning two Grammys with Swift on “1989” and “folklore.”
