boygenius

The indie supergroup boygenius unites Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, three singer/songwriters who had already built thriving solo careers. Their work spotlights Dacus's wit, Baker's emotionally active style, Bridgers's darkly confessional lyricism, and the chemistry that emerges when the three collaborate. After issuing their self-titled debut EP in 2018, the band resurfaced in 2023 with their first full-length album, the Grammy-winning The Record, followed by the EP the rest.

Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus connected as friends while their careers advanced along similar timelines. Each brings a distinct method to songwriting, and at roughly the same moment Dacus and Baker joined Matador Records while Bridgers signed with Dead Oceans. Occasional meetings occurred during tours, and their bond deepened through the shared experience of young indie musicians stepping into broader audiences. They eventually decided to form a group, anchoring the plan around a three-way co-headlining tour set for November 2018.

Before that tour, boygenius spent four days in the studio writing and recording the six-song self-titled EP that displayed each member's strengths and produced a result greater than its individual parts. Matador released Boygenius in October 2018, and the tour that inspired the project began weeks afterward. In 2020 the trio posted a set of previously unreleased demos online and directed the proceeds to charity.

Solo work took priority for a period, yet boygenius issued their first full-length album in March 2023. Written both independently and together, The Record was tracked during a focused one-month session at Rick Rubin's Shangri-La studio. The album reached number four on the Billboard 200 and presented a unified sound in which the three voices combined to shape a hefty, hooky, and slightly bittersweet collection. The subsequent tour reached larger crowds than before and included a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. In October boygenius released the four-song EP the rest, which returned to the folkier, less-produced style of their early performances. That November The Record earned seven Grammy nominations and won Best Alternative Music Album along with Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for "Not Strong Enough."