Improve Your Day And Watch This Boygenius Performance

By Allyson Johnson | Celebrity | October 4, 2023 |

By Allyson Johnson | Celebrity | October 4, 2023 |

The musical group Boygenius — made up of singers, songwriters, and loves of my life Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers — made a triumphant return to late-night television with their appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Huddling in a semi-circle on a darkened stage, Bridgers on guitar, the trio sang “Cool About It,” trading verses until uniting in harmony at the end, signing off with a shared peck of the lips. I, clearly, was not cool about it.

While Bridgers had already made a bigger name for herself following the release of her sophomore album, Punisher, it’s been wonderful to see Dacus and (especially) Baker receive a similar level of acclaim following the group’s full-length album. Dacus and Baker were well known in the indie music scene, their albums decorating many an end-of-year “best of list,” but there’s a difference between Baker playing a free show at Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH versus playing a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in just a few short years.

That show is documented in a piece over at Pitchfork, where the writer highlights the expression of clear, abundant, queer joy on display throughout their show. It’s part of what makes Boygenius a formidable band beyond their solo and collaborative music. It’s not just that they’re going tits out on stages and pissing off feeble men. They’re extending a space for younger LGBTQ+ audiences who see clear, demonstrated love between bandmates who all identify as queer.

The folksy, Simon & Garfunkel-inspired “Cool About It” is just one of the many terrific songs on The Record, the follow-up to their 2018 self-titled EP. If Bridgers is the only name recognizable from either her music or dating life, check out “Not Strong Enough,” for one of their singles, “Anti-Curse” to hear how Baker shreds, or “We’re In Love” for a song that aches and immerses itself in profound, platonic love. Listen to Dacus’s “Night Shift” or “Thumbs” for her diary entry prose and howling rage, and Baker’s “Heatwave,” “Everybody Does,” and “Appointments” insightful lyricism and bellowing vocals. The Record came out in March of this year. Kristen Stewart directed a music video for them! Even if you’ve missed the main releases and tour, it’s never too late to partially rectify the problem and listen to their music. Of the three, Bridgers’s discography is arguably the least interesting. Still, there’s no doubt it’s her star power and business savviness that has helped jettison their platform, along with raw talent.

With a B-Side, four-song EP, The Rest, arriving on October 13th, and a possible Grammy nomination come November, their names will be that much more recognizable.