boygenius - the acclaimed trio comprised of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus - have released their highly anticipated debut album, the record.
boygenius announced their long-awaited debut album, the record, in January and followed that by grabbing global headlines with their Nirvana-nodding cover of February’s Rolling Stone magazine.
the record started in June 2020, a week after Phoebe Bridgers’ record Punisher came out. Phoebe sent Lucy and Julien a demo of “Emily I’m Sorry” and asked if they could be a band again, for the first time since those five short months in 2018 when the boygenius EP was conceived, written, and recorded. Nobody wanted to be the first to ask and make such a demand on everyone’s time, but Julien made a Google Drive folder called “dare I say it?” and everyone flooded it with potential songs. The first thing boygenius did after getting vaccinated was meet up to write music together. That’s where the record changes. The first four songs were written individually. The rest are conversations. Recorded in January 2022 at Shangri-La in Malibu, the record is about recapturing joy, and about the wasteful detour that turns out not to be the most important thing.
Through soaring harmonies and the band’s signature candid lyricism, the current single “Not Strong Enough” is about paradoxically experiencing self-hatred while having a God complex. The accompanying video, which was self-shot by the band and edited by Jackson Bridgers, feels like a home video reel, offering a glimpse into their close bond as they spend a carefree day together.
The CD version of the record comes in a six-panel, plastic-free digipak package and includes a 24-page poster folder zine, while the LP is pressed on black vinyl and features gatefold packaging, a temporary tattoo, and the 24-page zine.
boygenius are set to perform at this year’s Coachella Music Festival on Saturday, April 15th and Saturday, April 22nd in addition to headlining the inaugural Re:Set Concert Series with stops in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and more. They’ve also announced three new UK tour dates: Gunnersbury Park in London, UK on August 20th, Piece Hall in Halifax, UK on August 22nd, as well as an appearance at Connect Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland August 25-27th.