boygenius is Back, Tell Your Friends...

by Claire Dunham

My dearest blog readers, if you have ever been interested in what thoughts consume my waking moments, today is your lucky day! Because this week, I am going to share the one thought that replays in my mind on a perpetual loop: boygenius.

I wake up thinking about boygenius. I eat in the dining hall, and I ponder boygenius. I even spent my entire Friday night talking about boygenius with my suitemate’s friends. Then, after they all left, I was lulled to sleep by the sweet voices of the boygenius trio.

Although this may seem obsessive, I hope my fellow boygenius fans can relate to this (somewhat unhinged) excitement. After all, the group’s latest album, the record, marks their first release since their 2018 self-titled EP. It is also the indie trio’s first full-length album. Personally, I think both of these feats seem reason enough to celebrate the band.

If I haven’t made it clear enough yet, this blog post is dedicated to the record by boygenius. Minutes after its release, the album received critical acclaim. Pitchfork named it “Best New Music,” and Rolling Stone Magazine labeled it an “instant classic.” But the most telling sign of the album’s success can be found on social media. Fans flooded TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter with posts about their favorite lyrics and songs. Personally, I posted four separate images to my Instagram story pertaining to boygenius and the release.

It’s obvious the band has a cult following, but those who are unfamiliar with their music seem skeptical about the record. This particular sentiment was apparent in the comment section of a Rolling Stone Magazine Instagram post. One comment reads: “Not this shit again… Please god.” Another states plainly, “Biased review. Trash music.” Although I don’t intend to generalize, most of these negative comments were written by men.

It seems like an impossible task to understand the root of this boygenius hatred. However, I don’t think it is a reach to say that misogyny is partly to blame. The widespread opposition to women in the music industry has been prevalent for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. It even impacts the perception of “boy bands” who have large female followings, think The Beatles or One Direction.

n general, women in music are not taken seriously. In an interview with Them, boygenius members, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker, describe their own experiences as young music-lovers, “All three struggled growing up as queer women and fans of music that was largely made by misogynistic bros.”

In the same interview, author Lexi McMenamin emphasizes the group’s desire to avoid gendered labels or stereotypes: “As they refuse the press-appointed responsibility of being the women rock band, constantly looking to uplift others alongside them, they feel a sense of indebtedness to those who broke barriers for them to get where they are.”

Despite this ludicrous backlash, the record is, without a doubt, an extraordinary album. I had the opportunity to hear the album a few days early at a listening event. When the first song started to play, I looked around the jam-packed record store. I saw a remarkable eagerness in each attendee’s eyes. Some people were grasping at their friends’ or partner’s hands. Others had tense shoulders and glossed-over eyes—looking as if they had entered an entirely new plane of existence. Whether they came to the event alone or with friends, it was clear that each person knew they were about to experience something life-changing.

Since the album is still relatively new, I don’t want to “spoil” the content of it for those who haven’t had the chance to listen yet. Just trust me when I say, it is a masterclass on songwriting and vocal harmony. The album is complex, but, ultimately, it’s cohesive enough to be a story. It’s a tale of pain, pleasure, fear, anger, love, and friendship. It is bound to make you cry and laugh, and its addictive sound will make you want to replay it again and again and again and again…

Until next week,

Claire

Photograph: Rolling Stone

boygenius is Back, Tell Your Friends...