On Sept. 25, 2023, indie supergroup boygenius announced the release of “the rest,” the group’s third release, during the final leg of their most recent tour. That same night, the band began teasing pieces of all four new songs as a lead-up to the EP’s release on Oct. 13. Each song was performed in their entirety during the group’s show at Madison Square Garden. Upon the EP’s release, boygenius released unique lyric videos for each song, featuring never-before-seen photos from the tour and intimate moments of friendship between the band; a scrapbook archive reminiscing on the moments that crafted boygenius’ “the record” era.
This EP is the shortest release from boygenius. Their first self-titled EP included six songs, and their first full-length album, “the record,” contained 12 songs, clocking in at over 42 minutes. “the rest” only comes out to 12 minutes. In a January 2023 interview with Rolling Stone, it was revealed that 25 songs were originally recorded for “the record,” sparking speculation that the songs that didn’t make it might be featured on “the rest.” During an acoustic show at Fingerprints Music, the band confirmed that the four songs were indeed originally written for “the record” but were ultimately cut.
The first song on “the rest,” “Black Hole,” carries on the motif started in “Not Strong Enough” earlier this year. The black hole serves a symbol for dysfunction, an inescapable challenge hovering over someone’s life. “Not Strong Enough” sets up the black hole as an enduring pain that takes over, destroying so much that falling apart becomes inevitable. “Black Hole” pushes against that idea by providing an alternate definition. The first verse references NASA’s newfound discovery about black holes, describing how what we thought was destroying us is actually the reason for our existence. A black hole is an explosion of a massive star, yet in the star’s destruction, something new is created. This song comments on how what we feel is destroying us may actually mean a new life for us.
“Afraid of Heights” is much more reminiscent of “the record.” Its tempo is faster, with a heavy emphasis on the strummed instrumentals. The song doesn’t ask the listener to explore the meaning beyond themselves, but rather elaborates on the fear of an eagerness to pursue the precarity of that meaning. Being afraid of heights means choosing to live in your comfort zone. The narrator won’t engage in unnecessary challenges; noting that not everyone has the choice to live a dangerous life, some just do. “Afraid of Heights” plays into “the rest’s” theme of destruction, whether it be self-inflicted or from something beyond our control. It also exposes the truth of the protagonist’s desires: an avoidance of a better life because it feels impossible, so self-destruction presents as more attainable.
“Voyager” is a clear continuation of Phoebe Bridgers’ gut-wrenching odyssey to the moon. It’s a song that brings together the strengths of Bridgers’ solo music and her work with boygenius. The song is supported by the quiet harmonizing hums of Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker but is first and foremost a Bridgers’ song. “Voyager” evokes the feeling of floating, hovering into space– the location where the song ends.
“Powers” is a soft epilogue. Like “Afraid of Heights,” “Powers” is part of an overarching narrative rather than brief fragments of a story. Led by Baker and following the same cosmic theme as the rest of the EP, the song functions as a summary of an individual origin story. With a sound very similar to “Anti-Curse,” “Powers” is a remnant of “the record’s”scrapped songs. If this is indeed the final song released by boygenius during “the record” era, the trumpets playing alongside the band serve as an honorable and triumphant end to this chapter.
“the rest” is an EP packed with emotion and cosmic metaphors that favor expressive imagery more than explanation. The cohesion of “the rest” lapses beyond any of their other collections. There is a deliberately paced consistency across each song with a clear emotional center that all the members seem to revolve around or gravitate towards. Though short, “the rest” uses contemplative and meditative tones that make it feel like a much longer reflection. boygenius reflects on the points of their life that have made them who they are now, both individually and as a band.
“the rest” is a cosmic wish. Throughout the ep, boygenius asks us to look up to something greater than ourselves, and shows us how, in that greatness, there’s a universe made up of tiny particles and microscopic moments slowly bringing all of us together.
Olivia Doherty can be reached at [email protected] and Suzanne Bagia can be reached at [email protected]
