On October 25, 2018, supergroup boygenius, consisting of indie musicians Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker, released their self-titled EP. The women of boygenius all had their own music out, and their collaboration included a culmination of all three of their unique sounds and perspectives. This EP consisted of emotional moments from each member, and the most well known track to come of it was “Me and My Dog,” a song which would continue to be referenced even in boygenius’ later work. Although boygenius did promote this EP and perform it, the era was somewhat short-lived, and the women went their separate ways career-wise, although they did stay friends and continued collaborating both behind the scenes and on each other’s records.
After the release of the self-titled EP, each member of boygenius put out their own record. Phoebe Bridgers released “Punisher” in 2020, in which the other members of boygenius contributed backing vocals on her song “Graceland Too” (a song widely believed to have been written about Julien Baker, due to what Bridgers has shared about the song, and the fact that many of the lyrics come off as purposeful references to Baker). Lucy Dacus released “Home Video” in 2021, which included a song called “Please Stay,” (also believed to have been written about Baker) in which Bridgers and Baker contributed vocals. And Julien Baker released “Little Oblivions,” which included “Favor,” a deeply confessional song that also features vocals from the other members of boygenius.
“I feel like the fact that they kept working together even during their break means a lot,” Junior Sienna Ramirez said.
In early 2023, fans of the women’s individual projects and the self-titled EP alike began massive speculation that the trio would be coming back together after they were spotted taking photos together. (This photoshoot would later be revealed to have been for a Rolling Stone cover story that paid homage to Nirvana.) And on March 31 of 2023, the trio released their first full-length album entitled “the record.” The album included songs that included all three member’s verses, like “Not Strong Enough,” along with songs like “True Blue,” with verses from only one member. The album immediately resonated deeply with the public, receiving a perfect score from major publications like Rolling Stone and NME. Reviewers seemed very moved by the trio’s powerful and loving bond, and were moved with nostalgia for classic rock bands.
Soon after the release of “the record,” the trio went on tour together. They performed at many esteemed venues, like Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the Hollywood Bowl. boygenius received a lot of praise for their joyful expressions of affection on stage, and how they unabashedly show love for each other. However, it is important that the members of boygenius were not always happy with the amount of attention they were receiving. Back in 2018, they released a song called “Bite the Hand” on their first EP, and got matching tattoos in honor of it. This song essentially likens expressing one’s discomfort with fan attention to biting the hand of the one who feeds you, but the members still felt it had to be done. Phoebe Bridgers expressed anger at press and fans who would not leave her alone even when she was heading to her father’s funeral.
When boygenius was originally formed, the name of their band was meant to be an ironic subversion of society’s bias towards male art and work. However, the members have expressed boredom with the amount of conversation surrounding them that only focuses on their gender. “‘We’re doing press right now and it’s completely uninteresting that we’re women. Why are we talking about this?'” Dacus asked during an interview with Loud and Quiet.
“I think all she meant is that there are other important things about the group besides them being women or whatever,” Ramirez said. “Sometimes, it’s important to talk about something else.”
However, despite some of boygenius’ qualms with their rise to fame, they still expressed how much they enjoyed this professional endeavor with their best friends. Julien Baker especially has found it very important to express how much she loves being in a band. She was in a band with her best friends during her high school and college years, and says that she only became a solo artist because her band didn’t want her debut solo record, “Sprained Ankle.” She would go on to tearfully explain how being in a band was all she ever wanted to do with her life when boygenius went on stage to accept a Grammy.
In October, the trio released 4 more songs, which were not complete at the time of “the record” being released, but the band still felt were important additions to their discography.
After completing their highly successful tour, boygenius’ last outing together for their year dedicated to the band was the Grammys. They took home three awards, and it was a triumphant end to their year of success and connection to the public. boygenius is done for now, but only the members know what the future may bring. As of now, boygenius’ indelible mark on the culture is still felt, and will be for a long time to come.
