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Boygenius

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For the EP of the same name, see boygenius (EP).
boygenius
Genres
Years active2018–present
LabelsMatador,[1] Interscope Records
MembersJulien Baker
Phoebe Bridgers
Lucy Dacus
Websitexboygeniusx.com

Boygenius (stylized in all lowercase)[2] is an American indie rock supergroup[a] formed in 2018 by Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus.[6][7] Their self-titled debut EP was written and recorded at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles.[8][9][10] On January 18, 2023, the band announced their debut studio album, The Record, with a release date of March 31.[11]

History

2018: Formation, EP, and tour

Bridgers has called the formation of the group "kind of an accident," wherein each of the members were simply fans of each other's work and then became friends.[2] Both Dacus and Bridgers had opened for Baker on separate tours in 2016, and they all ran in similar circles as young up-and-coming performers navigating the indie scene.[12][13]

The three became close, and they shared frustration at constantly being compared to each other as "women in rock" despite their considerably different musical styles.[14] Dacus has commented that the idea of women in music "should not be remarkable whatsoever," with Bridgers adding, "it's not a genre."[14] Each has spoken on the tendency of the music industry to pit women against each other, and the group was formed in part to reject this idea.[2][14] "I hope people see the three of us and know there isn't competition," Dacus has said. "You don't have to compete with your contemporaries. You can make something good with people you admire."[15]

Baker had joked to Dacus years before about a "pipe dream" that they could one day all form a band.[16] The three decided to book a co-headlining tour in early 2018, and they originally planned to record a single or a cover so that they could perform something together on stage.[2] Upon meeting up that summer, however, they found themselves overwhelmed with ideas, and they ended up forming the band, writing, recording, and self-producing the Boygenius EP in four days, with the process involving almost exclusively women.[15][17]

Each brought one full song and one incomplete idea with them to the group.[18] They sought to create an environment free of the competitiveness and "bravado" they had often encountered in previous experiences, and they have remarked that the absence of adult men in the process proved significant, allowing them to relate to each other openly without constantly having to explain themselves.[2][17] The record was met with universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike; it was named the 12th best album of 2018 by NPR Music, despite being only an EP.[19] Their subsequent tour that November saw them performing all across the U.S., as well as on Late Night with Seth Meyers and the Tiny Desk.[16][20][21]

2019–2022: Continuing collaborations

Boygenius in 2018–19

The group was slated to perform in summer 2019 at Woodstock 50, before its cancellation due to a series of production issues.[22][23] In 2020, they were featured on Hayley Williams' "Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris" from her EP Petals for Armor II, and also reunited on backing vocals for numerous songs from each other's solo projects: "Graceland Too" and "I Know the End" from Bridgers' Grammy-nominated Punisher, Baker's Little Oblivions single "Favor," and Dacus's "Please Stay" and "Going Going Gone" on Home Video.[24] With the releases scattered throughout the year, all of these were actually recorded on the same day, a process Dacus said "had the same atmosphere as when we recorded the boygenius EP[...] a natural result of being together, easy as can be."[24]

In July 2020, the trio released a handful of demos from their Boygenius recording sessions on Bandcamp to raise money for charitable organizations in their respective hometowns, raising over $23,000 for the Downtown Women's Center of Los Angeles, OUTMemphis, and Mutual Aid Distribution Richmond.[25][26]

After reuniting on stage for occasional surprise appearances at one another's solo tours throughout fall 2021, the group performed their first full show together since 2018 as the headliner of Bread and Roses Presents' annual benefit concert in San Francisco on November 19.[27]

2023-present: The Record

In January 2023, the band announced via social media the upcoming release of a full-length LP entitled The Record with a release date of March 2023. The album artwork and three singles from the album, "$20", "Emily I'm Sorry" and "True Blue" were released alongside the album's initial announcement.[11]

On January 31, 2023, AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) Presents announced that the band would be one of three headline acts at the inaugural Re:SET Concert Series.[28]

Name

The group has been vocal about the origins of their name, which began as a joke and a way to encourage each other in the studio.[17] All three had shared negative experiences with overconfident male collaborators—as Baker put it, "the archetype of the tortured genius, [a] specifically male artist who has been told since birth that their every thought is not only worthwhile but brilliant."[18] Dacus described the "boy genius" trope as "boys and men we know who've been told that they are geniuses since they could hear, basically," and has detailed how they attempted to channel that energy while making the EP. "If one person was having a thought—'I don't know if this is good, it's probably terrible'—it was like, 'No! Be the boy genius! Your every thought is worthwhile, just spit it out.'"[17]

The group occasionally writes their name as "xboygeniusx," such as on social media and their website.[29][30] This is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the X symbol of the straight edge punk subculture, which Baker was somewhat involved in as a teen. She noted that they had all joked about Boygenius being a hardcore band, and when creating their social media they thought it would be funny to stylize themselves as extremely punk when it wasn't characteristic of any of their music at the time.[31]

Discography

Studio albums

Title EP details
The Record

Extended plays

Title EP details Peak chart positions
US
Sales
[32] 		US
Alt.
[33] 		US
Heat
[34] 		US
Indie
[35] 		SCO
[36] 		UK
Indie
[37] 		UK
Sales
[38]
Boygenius
  • Released: October 26, 2018
  • Label: Matador
  • Format: LP, CD, digital download, streaming
 57 24 3 9 64 19 85
Boygenius (Demos)[39]
  • Released: July 3, 2020
  • Label: Matador
  • Format: Digital download
 — — — — — — —

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
AAA
[40] 		US
Rock
[41] 		NZ
Hot
[42]
"$20" 2023 30 — — The Record
"Emily I'm Sorry" — 44 31
"True Blue" — — —
"Not Strong Enough" — 43 —

Notes

  1. ^ [3][4][5][2]

References

  1. ^ "A Conversation with boygenius Gets Weird".
  2. ^ a b c d e f Read, Bridget (October 31, 2018). "A Brief Oral History of Boygenius". Vogue. Retrieved January 19, 2023. When the band was announced earlier this summer, Boygenius (styled "boygenius") instantly became the Infinity War of female-led indie-rock outfits: Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, and Phoebe Bridgers, having been lassoed into the same Spotify playlists and genre profiles for the past few years anyway, decided to combine their efforts into one supergroup.
  3. ^ Martoccio, Angie (January 19, 2023). "How boygenius Became the World's Most Exciting Supergroup". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  4. ^ Martoccio, Angie (January 18, 2023). "Boygenius Are Back in Town to Save 2023". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 19, 2023. Well, the wait is over:The indie supergroup — consisting of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus — will finally release a full-length debut, titled The Record, slated for March 31 via Interscope.
  5. ^ Zhang, Cat (January 18, 2023). "boygenius: "$20" Track Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 19, 2023. The supergroup announces its long-awaited return with a three-song sampler.
  6. ^ Coscarelli, Joe (September 11, 2018). "Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus Formed an Indie-Rock Supergroup". The New York Times.
  7. ^ "Introducing boygenius, a Supergroup of Indie-Rock Cool Girls". August 21, 2018.
  8. ^ Mapes, Jillian (October 18, 2018). "boygenius Are the Egoless Supergroup of Your Indie Rock Dreams". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  9. ^ Battan, Carrie. "Boygenius Is Driven by the Spirit of Solidarity". The New Yorker (November 12, 2018 ed.). Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  10. ^ Larusso, Marissa (August 21, 2018). "Hear New Music From Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus' Supergroup Boygenius". NPR. NPR.
  11. ^ a b "the record is out march 31st and three songs are out now. xboygeniusx.com". Twitter. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  12. ^ Petrusich, Amanda (May 15, 2020). "Phoebe Bridgers's Frank, Anxious Music". The New Yorker. Conde Nast.
  13. ^ Battan, Carrie (November 2, 2018). "Boygenius Is Driven by the Spirit of Solidarity". The New Yorker. Conde Nast.
  14. ^ a b c Rollins, Samantha (November 15, 2018). "Boygenius is Bigger Than the Moment". GQ. Conde Nast.
  15. ^ a b Conner, Matt. "boygenius - The Under the Radar Cover Story". Under the Radar. Under the Radar Magazine.
  16. ^ a b Albertson, Jasmine. "Boygenius Give Emotive Debut Television Performance on Late Night with Seth Meyers". KEXP.org. KEXP-FM.
  17. ^ a b c d Coscarelli, Joe (September 11, 2018). "Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus Formed an Indie-Rock Supergroup". The New York Times.
  18. ^ a b Schonfeld, Zach (October 31, 2018). "How All-Female Supergroup Boygenius is Changing Indie Rock". Newsweek.
  19. ^ Thompson, Stephen (December 4, 2018). "The 50 Best Albums of 2018 - NPR". NPR.com.
  20. ^ "Boygenius [EP] by boygenius Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic.
  21. ^ Music, NPR. "boygenius: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert". YouTube. YouTube.
  22. ^ Kreps, Daniel (March 19, 2019). "Woodstock 50 Details Full Lineup With Jay-Z, Dead & Company, Killers". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone.
  23. ^ Sisario, Ben (July 31, 2019). "Woodstock 50 Is Canceled: 'We Just Ran Out of Time'". The New York Times.
  24. ^ a b Curto, Justin (February 3, 2021). "Julien Baker Gets the Band Back Together on 'Favor'". Vulture. Vox Media.
  25. ^ Hussey, Allison (July 2, 2020). "boygenius to Release Demos on Bandcamp Benefit Day". Pitchfork. Conde Nast.
  26. ^ xboygeniusx. "Y'all raised 23,729.37 buying the boygenius demos on bandcamp day". Instagram. Facebook.
  27. ^ Breihan, Tom (November 3, 2021). "Boygenius Announce First Show in 3 Years". Stereogum.
  28. ^ Ruiz, Matthew (January 31, 2023). "Boygenius, LCD Soundsystem, and Steve Lacy to Headline New Re:Set Concert Series". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  29. ^ "boygenius (@xboygeniusx)". Instagram. Meta.
  30. ^ "xboygeniusx.com". Interscope Records.
  31. ^ Turned Out a Punk. "Episode 197: Julien Baker". Apple Podcasts.
  32. ^ "Boygenius Chart History: Top Album Sales". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  33. ^ "Boygenius Chart History: Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  34. ^ "Boygenius Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  35. ^ "Boygenius Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  36. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  37. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  38. ^ "Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  39. ^ "boygenius : demos EP (Bandcamp) (24 Hours Only)". matadorrecords.com. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  40. ^ "Boygenius Chart History: Adult Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  41. ^ "Boygenius Chart History: Hot Rock & Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  42. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
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