On the first night of boygenius’ East Coast leg of their tour, they announced their second EP as a band, titled “the rest,” which is set to release on Friday, Oct. 13. Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers were in the middle of their set at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston on Sept. 25, when they announced that they were singing a never-before played song titled “Black Hole.” After finishing the performance, they announced that it would be officially released on Oct. 13, along with three other songs that are being announced one by one.
While none of the songs are available to stream or purchase yet, the lyrics are available online. “Black Hole” opens with Baker singing, “In a rainstorm / Sucking down a dart on the back porch / Out here, it gets so dark / You can see the stars for once.” The band has yet to talk about the meaning behind “Black Hole,” but it may have a connection to one of their previous songs, “Not Strong Enough” from “the record,” the group’s only full-length album.
“Not Strong Enough” opens with the line, “Black hole opened in the kitchen / Every clock’s a different time.” Boygenius is no stranger to writing songs that connect to one another, proven by “Me and My Dog” from their first EP and “Letter to An Old Poet” from “the record.” The end of the chorus in “Me and My Dog” states, “I wanna be emaciated / I wanna hear one song without thinkin’ of you / I wish I was on a spaceship/Just me and my dog an impossible view.” While “Letter to An Old Poet” states, “I wanna be happy / I’m ready to walk into a room without thinking of you/I’ll go up to the top of the building / And remember my dog when I see the full moon.”
The lyrics between the two songs show growth between the six years in which they were released. In the first song, “Me and My Dog,” the group sings about the future and the distant idea of wanting things to be different. However, in “Letter to An Old Poet”, they are finally ready to make the step towards change and bettering themselves. Boygenius has a habit of including parallels to previous songs in their newer music, and “the rest” seems as though it will follow in that direction with the first track, “Black Hole.”
At their following three shows, the group announced the three other tracks being released on their EP. They announced the second track at their second sold out show at MGM Fenway in Boston on Sept. 27, titled “Afraid of Heights.” Dacus is the primary vocalist on the track, and she opens with the lines, “‘Cause one man’s dream is another man’s death’ / I remember when you told me that /Didn’t know what to say so I just laughed / Now I know it’s not funny.” The song brings up anxiety and wondering what it would be like to not constantly be dragged down by it.
On Sept. 28, the band debuted the third track on “the rest,” at the Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut, titled “Voyager.” According to Genius, Bridgers first performed “Voyager” solo on July 29, 2022, at O2 Academy Brixton in London, England. She didn’t record it solo, however, and is now releasing the song with the band. The song opens with Bridgers, Dacus and Baker singing, “It’s a hundred and three in the valley / Blacktop is meltin’ on our shoes / And I don’t mean to make it all about me.” The song is named after Voyager 1, explicitly stated in the line, “But I never imagined a dot quite as pale or as blue,” which references the Pale Blue Dot photograph taken by Voyager 1. “Voyager” tackles the feelings that people experience after getting out of a tumultuous relationship.
The final song on “the rest,” “Powers,” was announced on Sept. 30 at The Mann Center in Philadelphia, PA. Baker starts the song by singing, “How did it start? Did I fall into a nuclear reactor? / And crawl out with acid skin or somethin’ worse / A hostile alien ambassador.” “Powers” questions their own beginning while using metaphors about science fiction tropes.
Despite the almost six year gap between the band’s first EP and their debut studio album, “the rest” is being released only six and a half months after their debut album much to fan’s delight. “The rest” will be available to be streamed and purchased on Oct. 13 with four tracks, “Black Hole,” “Afraid of Heights,” “Voyager” and “Powers.”
Mary DeCarlo can be reached at [email protected]
