The boys are back in town: boygenius releases ‘the rest’ of its debut album

boygenius is keeping its fans well-fed this year.

The supergroup, composed of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, released its debut album, “the record,” in March. The album further solidified the band’s success as it was met with critical acclaim and landed at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 200 shortly after its release.

If an album and a tour weren’t enough for fans, boygenius had more in store: The group (often referred to as ‘the boys’) announced in September that it would be releasing an EP titled “the rest” on Oct. 13.

“the rest” is only four tracks long. In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, Dacus described them as “songs that weren’t ready for the record, and then we spent time on them, and they’re ready now.”

Despite the short tracklist, fans (myself included) were excited to get even more music from boygenius. “the record” took five years to follow after boygenius’s first EP. Now, the boys have given us two releases in one year — how generous of them!

The EP opens with “Black Hole,” a Baker-lead track. For the first half, Baker’s raw vocals and a guitar soothe our ears until the song swells into instrumentals. Then, Bridgers and Dacus come in to finish off the track, closing off with the lines, “My thoughts, all noise, fake smile, decoys / Sometimes, I need to hear your voice.”

Dacus takes the reins on the next song, “Afraid of Heights,” singing of a relationship in which she finds herself avoiding risks while her friend/partner actively seeks them. Although she’s avoided taking risks, Dacus admits that she does want to live a vibrant life.

As someone who avoids risks like the plague, “Afraid of Heights” is my favorite song from the EP. Lyrically and sonically, it’s a gorgeous track. The trio’s harmonies between Dacus’ solo verses are practically perfect.

Bridgers is at the front on “Voyager,” where she appears to reflect on a relationship similar to the one Dacus sings of on “Afraid of Heights.” Bridgers’ soft, wispy vocals paired with her bandmates’ hums and an acoustic guitar makes for a great late-night autumn listen.

The EP’s closing track, “Powers,” is once again led by Baker. She wonders what happened to make her the way that she is, referencing cliche supervillain origin stories: “Did I fall into a nuclear reactor? / Crawl out with acid skin or somethin’ worse / A hostile alien ambassador? / Or am I simply another one of the universe’s failed experiments?”

The existential lyrics of “Powers” make it a standout track for me. It gave me goosebumps on my first listen, but that may also be due to how ethereal Bridgers, Dacus and Bakers’ voices sound together.

Although I have no major critiques to give of “the rest,” I will agree with Dacus’ earlier sentiment: These are clearly songs that weren’t ready for “the record.” And that’s OK – they’re still great in their own ways.