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Boygenius to release its debut album March 31
Composed of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, boygenius is a queer, indie-rock supergroup. The trio is known for its rock-infused melodies and biting lyricism, according to The Tufts Daily.
Bridgers explained the intended message behind the supergroup’s name in a Vogue article.
“Men are taught to be entitled to space and that their ideas should be heard because they’re great ideas and women are taught the opposite,” Bridgers said. “So a ‘boygenius’ is someone who their whole life has been told that their ideas are genius.”
After enrapturing audiences with the occasional, unofficial reunion, boygenius announced its debut album on Instagram on Jan. 18. “The record” will be released on March 31, via Interscope Records, according to boygenius’ post.
The group also released three singles on the day of the album announcement. The three singles, titled “$20”, “Emily I’m Sorry” and “True Blue”, were the first music released by boygenius since 2018 when the group released a self-titled and self-produced EP.
Fans were quick to declare their favorite of the three singles. Like most of boygenius’ work, each single has a distinguishable persona that alludes to the stylistic choices of the boygenius member who had the largest part in crafting it.
A Rolling Stone article, rightfully titled, “Boygenius are Back in Town to Save 2023,” explains this phenomenon wonderfully by saying, “Each sounds distinctly like its creator and yet cohesively sounds like boygenius, with tender harmonies and mind-blowing one-liners.”
According to Rolling Stone, in an interview, boygenius told Rolling Stone that Bridgers sent Dacus and Baker “Emily I’m Sorry” soon after “Punisher”, Bridger’s second studio album, was released. Bridgers also included the message, “Can we be a band again?”
Less than two weeks after the album news, boygenius made an announcement that it would be headlining the Re:SET concert series alongside Steve Lacy and LCD Soundsystem.
According to the Instagram post, boygenius will be joined by Clairo, Dijon and Bartees Strange in its performance for the concert series.
Shortly after the news about their U.S. tour, in response to fans’ requests for shows in Europe, boygenius posted an announcement for shows in London and Halifax in August via Instagram.
Special guests for the Europe shows include MUNA and Ethel Cain, plus “more to be announced”, according to the Instagram post.
On March 2, boygenius released an additional single called “Not Strong Enough.” The supergroup also released a music video to go along with the fourth single.
The footage for the “Not Strong Enough” music video was shot by Bridgers, Dacus and Baker, and edited by Bridgers’ brother, Jackson Bridgers.
The music video elicits warm feelings and offers a wondrous glimpse into the band’s close-knit bond, as they galivant around a theme park, gaze at art in a museum, explore an abandoned building and cozy up on the beach.
To stream or download the first four singles from “the record”, check out boygenius’ website. For more information about the tour, visit the tour page on its website.
O’Brien can be reached at [email protected].
Maggie O'Brien is a third-year English creative writing and English education student. This is her fifth semester on The Spectator. She adores many things but has a soft spot in her heart for calico critters, rain and books with cracked spines.