Generally, I’d identify as a millennial. I’m a cusper at 96, but I remember using Windows 98 and playing Nintendo 64 so I really can’t relate to zoomers who have never torrented anything. I say this to sort of also disassociate myself from the millennial zeitgeist that has swept up indie music through the past decade; a relentlessly sincere and trite brand of art that is typified by boygenius. All the “confessional” songwriting that has been bubbling up since my freshman year of college has culminated in
This has unfortunately reminded me of Charles Bissell of The Wrens tinkering with their album so long he imploded his band and we will never hear their LP4.
defining it as the "worst album of the year" instead of just saying you didn't like it tells us everything we need to know about where your judgement comes from
were there any songs you enjoyed tho? i kinda liked cool about it, 20$ and not strong enough but i'm torn whether it's because i like their solo projects and really wanted to like this record or i genuinely enjoyed some of these songs
Love the harmonies. The songwriting is pedestrian and the music is just too damn generic. The group has a LOT of potential, but they need to work on their lyrics and arrangements.
The whole album encompasses quite a deep and intricately complex portrait of the women’s friendship, and there are a lot of really great lyrical moves here. The place of such a bald expression of lesbian love or in other songs of compromised romance in the album is secondary but fits well as a common subject matter of the three, the kind of emotional weight shared among women often, whatever their orientation. And as I recall most of the lyrics of 90s female pop acts were pretty lame in comparison. Lyrics don’t usually stand alone as poetry. I disagree even about Taylor Swift’s lyrics, her albums unlike this one are generally only about romantic relationships or her own image, but she manages to navigate these well-worn subject areas without the songs falling flat as cliche—they a feature strong images and carefully wrought, idiosyncratic moments within narratives that are both relatable and specific to her. But anyway, one of the main strengths to me about this album is its portrait of their friendship and how they stand together as queer women is just necessary and no-duh in this age of bizarrely persistent right-wing anti-gay activism that is literally censoring narratives like those this album depicts so it’s still brave, but in any case it’s their lives, that’s what they have to say. I think the motley ness of the album, how it both combines their distinct sensibilities into new chemical compounds and enables each woman’s subjectivity to float solo in parts as also endemic to a 3-way friendship of this nature is just accurate, deft, defiant, and deep, and to my mind, this is their relatable truth to tell, and theirs only, its own individual version of beauty. Whenever you combine sensibilities like this it’s going to be original, and theirs are strong and wise and fun, so there
Thank you, especially the comment on “but summer’s in your blood”…I was so confused reading these lovely reviews on Rolling Stone, etc…”even better than everyone had hoped”? We can’t be listening to the same thing. I wanted to like it, honestly, but I laughed out loud a few times at how silly the writing was.
The most overrated artist for me these days is Billie Eilish. Whispering and/or mumbling nonsense over this very basic junk that sounds like it was recorded in her bedroom - and probably was! Additional points off for that same fake pouty face she makes in every single picture.
“If Refinery29 made music” is the most apt summation of this band I’ve ever read lmao. This shit could only ever be popular or successful in the age of Instagram “poets”. Absolute bilge.
I just came back to this article that I started reading in the car after I kicked yet another boy genius song (Blind Taste Test--I swear) off my Random Recommended Songs/Albums of 2023. I couldn't put my finger on why exactly they don't move me--you covered it succinctly.
Came back to this article after I (in a blind taste test-I PROMISE you) kicked another boy genius song off my Random Recommended Songs of 2023 list. I couldn't put my finger on it...but you did a great job of describing why they don't move me. Good writing.
fuck you little bitch
ilysm
This has unfortunately reminded me of Charles Bissell of The Wrens tinkering with their album so long he imploded his band and we will never hear their LP4.
Satanist is objectively good
defining it as the "worst album of the year" instead of just saying you didn't like it tells us everything we need to know about where your judgement comes from
were there any songs you enjoyed tho? i kinda liked cool about it, 20$ and not strong enough but i'm torn whether it's because i like their solo projects and really wanted to like this record or i genuinely enjoyed some of these songs
Love the harmonies. The songwriting is pedestrian and the music is just too damn generic. The group has a LOT of potential, but they need to work on their lyrics and arrangements.
The whole album encompasses quite a deep and intricately complex portrait of the women’s friendship, and there are a lot of really great lyrical moves here. The place of such a bald expression of lesbian love or in other songs of compromised romance in the album is secondary but fits well as a common subject matter of the three, the kind of emotional weight shared among women often, whatever their orientation. And as I recall most of the lyrics of 90s female pop acts were pretty lame in comparison. Lyrics don’t usually stand alone as poetry. I disagree even about Taylor Swift’s lyrics, her albums unlike this one are generally only about romantic relationships or her own image, but she manages to navigate these well-worn subject areas without the songs falling flat as cliche—they a feature strong images and carefully wrought, idiosyncratic moments within narratives that are both relatable and specific to her. But anyway, one of the main strengths to me about this album is its portrait of their friendship and how they stand together as queer women is just necessary and no-duh in this age of bizarrely persistent right-wing anti-gay activism that is literally censoring narratives like those this album depicts so it’s still brave, but in any case it’s their lives, that’s what they have to say. I think the motley ness of the album, how it both combines their distinct sensibilities into new chemical compounds and enables each woman’s subjectivity to float solo in parts as also endemic to a 3-way friendship of this nature is just accurate, deft, defiant, and deep, and to my mind, this is their relatable truth to tell, and theirs only, its own individual version of beauty. Whenever you combine sensibilities like this it’s going to be original, and theirs are strong and wise and fun, so there
YES
omg you ate this....
Thank you, especially the comment on “but summer’s in your blood”…I was so confused reading these lovely reviews on Rolling Stone, etc…”even better than everyone had hoped”? We can’t be listening to the same thing. I wanted to like it, honestly, but I laughed out loud a few times at how silly the writing was.
The most overrated artist for me these days is Billie Eilish. Whispering and/or mumbling nonsense over this very basic junk that sounds like it was recorded in her bedroom - and probably was! Additional points off for that same fake pouty face she makes in every single picture.
“If Refinery29 made music” is the most apt summation of this band I’ve ever read lmao. This shit could only ever be popular or successful in the age of Instagram “poets”. Absolute bilge.
“ Pop is good when it’s Pop, coiffed and pimped for pleasure or excess, not when it’s made into a Subaru commercial soundtrack.”
I love when critics bake in some casual homophobia and misogyny and pass it off as an astute opinion.
I just came back to this article that I started reading in the car after I kicked yet another boy genius song (Blind Taste Test--I swear) off my Random Recommended Songs/Albums of 2023. I couldn't put my finger on why exactly they don't move me--you covered it succinctly.
Came back to this article after I (in a blind taste test-I PROMISE you) kicked another boy genius song off my Random Recommended Songs of 2023 list. I couldn't put my finger on it...but you did a great job of describing why they don't move me. Good writing.