Girls to the Front: boygenius is Back!

By Kylie Hogg
Local Music Journalist

Indie-rock supergroup, boygenius, made their much-anticipated return to the music scene last week with the release of three songs and a feature Rolling Stone cover. The group was formed when Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus were set to tour with each other in 2018. To promote the tour, the trio released an EP titled boygenius. After the EP, however, the three focused on their solo careers; that is, until this year.

On January 19, 2023, Rolling Stone released their January issue, featuring boygenius imitating the magazine’s 1994 Nirvana cover. This is not the first time the band has replicated a famous classic rock photo as, for the cover of their first EP, the three mimicked the image from a male folk-rock group’s 1969 debut album in symbolic reference towards the perception differences between male and female musicians. While the trio is unapologetic about their love for classic rock, they continue to remind people that many of the male dominated classic rock bands are treated with much more respect than female musicians of the same talent.

Even their name is a reference to this phenomenon, with “boygenius” signifying the common trope of overconfident male rock stars who are praised for everything they do or say.

The group has proven that they’re not one to be messed with. Their lyrics are filled with bold messages and strong vocals that establish the group’s raw talent and chemistry. One could argue that they are a Riot Grrrl for the modern age with the way they will not merely ask for respect, but rather demand it. This is because, much like the Riot Grrrl bands of the 1990s, boygenius is not afraid to express how they feel or confronting issues head on.

For instance, though many women in music have been criticized for using expletive language – both in their music and in interviews –  it seems that boygenius ushers in a refreshingly unapologetic new era. They’re not afraid to throw around f-bombs, with their expletives having the power to pack that much more of a punch while discussing sensitive topics, such as self-harm, alcoholism, and deadbeat dads.

Both artists of the Riot Grrrl era and boygenius do not hold back in their songwriting; they sing exactly what they feel, without fluff or censorship.

With that being said, I am very excited to see what this new era of boygenius has in store. With all three artists being far more experienced than they were at the time of their first EP in 2018, as well as having far much more time to market and promote their new album, we are bound to see more of what boygenius has to say. Make sure to keep an eye out for their debut album, the record, set to release on March 31, 2023.

Featured Image by boygenius