Boygenius
An endless flow of bands cycle through the music industry, striving for the off chance they stick around long enough to generate a loyal fanbase, create captivating music, or gain some prestige. However, the complex dynamic of making music in a group that shares creative control can often lead to a band’s demise. The Clash was incapable of deciding on a new musical direction, a smashed guitar was the final straw for Oasis, and New Order’s downfall was a dispute over royalties that lasted years. Mixing personal and professional relationships, constant group decision-making and newfound fame puts most bands at risk of imploding from the slightest trigger.
boygenius was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julian Baker, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers came together and released a self-titled EP. The EP was met with positive reviews from critics and formed a newfound fan base that combined the member’s pre-existing admirers while generating new listeners as well. Almost five years later, after much anticipation from their acquired fanbase, boygenius released their debut studio album, ‘the record,’ sticking with their love for witty titles and lyrics. It would be presumptuous to claim that boygenius has figured out the recipe for a successful band dynamic when they have been a band for less than five years and have only released two projects together. However, it can be argued that regardless of being a toddler in band years, the unique aspects of their formation and their collaborative style are proving to be successful in grasping credit from critics and devotion from fans.
“Mixing personal and professional relationships, constant group decision-making and newfound fame puts most bands at risk of imploding from the slightest trigger.”
The initial success of boygenius makes perfect sense. Three solo artists, all in the indie rock sphere, go into the studio and create a cohesive EP that formally joins their already similar fanbases. From this point on, listeners of Julian, Lucy, or Phoebe have been sucked into the boygenius universe. For me, it started with Phoebe Bridgers. I discovered her music and fell in love with her vivid lyricism, which eventually led me to the boygenius EP. After the first listen, I immediately went to the discographies of Julian and Lucy, and submerged myself deeper into the boygenius world. Loving the boygenius EP and each member’s solo career created an increased anticipation for their next piece of work. Once ‘the record’ was released, I became a full-on fangirl of the group, spending most of my time listening to each artist individually or their two collaborative albums. Whether you start with Phoebe, Julian or Lucy, listening to one leads you to the rest, which inevitably brings you to boygenius. Each member’s solo career feeds into the band’s success, and the band’s success feeds back into their solo careers, acting as a feedback loop that generates new listeners. Listening to one of the three artist’s music is a quick gateway into the boygenius universe.
The success of boygenius can also be attributed to the friendship and respect the band keeps at the core of their creative process. Being in the same music space prior to the formation of the band, the members held a mutual appreciation for each other’s talent before they met. Instead of building on a pre-existing foundation of friendship, the band has built themselves around their growing relationship that coalesced at the same time as boygenius itself. Close to five years later, each member’s wrist is now permanently inked with a tooth tattoo, a nod to their song ‘Bite the Hand,’ and a lasting reminder of their bond. Julian, Lucy, and Phoebe describe being in the studio together similarly to teenagers describing their after-school garage band practice —a space where comfortability has been established, and judgement is left at the (garage) door. Instead of constantly aiming for perfection or the next radio hit, the band has created an environment where failure is a welcome outcome. The trust built between the group members allows for new ideas to flow and feedback to be given without hesitation. When it comes to decision-making, the band does not take a democratic approach but instead must come to a consensus. All three members must agree on the decision, or it cannot be made. Sometimes convincing is necessary, but love and respect appear to be central to their collaboration process.
“Each member’s solo career feeds into the band’s success, and the band’s success feeds back into their solo careers, acting as a feedback loop that generates new listeners.”
Friendship is not only a successful foundation for the band’s collaboration but is also a strong theme within the band’s lyrics. The emotional complexity of close relationships, specifically friendships, is touched on often throughout boygenius’ discography. On ‘the record,’ the group writes about their friendship in a compelling way that listeners like myself can easily relate to. boygenius writes about friendship through a lens that mirrors how most artists write about romantic relationships. Upon a first listen, songs like ‘True Blue,’ ‘We’re in Love,’ and ‘Leonard Cohen’ could easily be misunderstood as love songs about a significant other. Instead, the songs mainly reflect Julian, Lucy, and Phoebe's friendship with one another. In ‘True Blue,’ Lucy sings, ‘It feels so good to be known so well; I cannot hide from you like I hide from myself,’ a lyric that perfectly describes the dynamic within long standing friendships, where you know more about each other than you care to admit. Although the relationship between certain bandmates has at times been speculated to surpass the threshold of platonic friends, the thread of friendship remains tied throughout the album, regardless. Romantic relationships tend to dominate the creative sphere of music, leaving less room for the expression of platonic female friendships, which are often undervalued. In my experience, female friendships have been the most supportive, durable, and emotion-evoking relationships in my life, deeming them worthy of compelling songwriting. By valuing these relationships and vividly describing their complexity on an album, boygenius puts into words what many young women understand entirely but cannot describe themselves.
The recipe for band success cannot be written as a one-size-fits-all manual that each member must read and abide by. However, if a band were looking for an outline of where to start for successful collaboration, looking to boygenius would be a safe bet. The balance between each member’s solo career and that of the band is impressive and allows success to circulate around Julian, Lucy, Phoebe, and boygenius itself. Each member’s admiration for one another and the friendship they have built around their artistry translates into their music, captivating listeners. Within their five years of bandhood, boygenius has established a devoted fanbase, created emotionally compelling music, and collected countless pats on the back from critics and other successful colleagues in the music industry. boygenius has managed to achieve what many bands strive for but never reach due to their unstable dynamics. Although conflict in bands is inevitable, I don’t see boygenius imploding anytime soon.
References
Zane Lowe interview: boygenius: Debut Album, Coachella & Friendship | Apple Music
https://pitchfork.com/news/new-order-and-peter-hook-settle-longstanding-legal-dispute/
Header by: Annie Bueler
