An unwritten future: what’s next for Boygenius?
Sometimes, music is predictable. Of course, Sabrina Carpenter would become one of the world’s biggest pop stars. Of course, Kendrick Lamar would kneecap Drake’s entire career. Of course, an obscure indie folk EP from three up-and-coming singer-songwriters in 2018 would become the biggest and most exciting rock band in the world five years later. One of those things is not like the others, and the truly charming thing about Boygenius was that they seemed as flabbergasted about the whole thing as we were.
Because let’s be real here, Boygenius could have been insufferable. Supergroups always are. Once you get over the novelty of, say, Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones and Josh Homme forming a band together, all you’re left with is Them Crooked Vultures, a tired record of microwaved Queens leftovers. The helping of smug millionaires’ superiority is presented with doing nothing to help the lumpen grunt-rock of, say, ‘Bandoliers’ go down any smoother.
That was not a problem Boygenius had. Possibly even more than the music, which was uniformly pretty great, what made Boygenius work was the sheer, unadulterated joy that Pheobe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus clearly felt working together. This was a union of three people whose relationship bordered on musical soulmates, their work complimenting each other without repeating anything. After all, this was a band that started out because the three were on tour together and ended up writing together.
This wasn’t a band that started because they had gaps in their touring schedule and knew that their fanbases would freak out if they so much as coughed near a mic together. This was a band that started the way that bands start. Three people got together, liked each other’s vibe and wanted to create something together. Then, five years later, they were selling out Madison Square Garden, the Hollywood Bowl and several gargantuan outdoor gigs all over the world.
How did Boygenius get that big?
Granted, it was a “supergroup” in the most technical fashion possible. Each member was a cult sensation in their own way. Bridgers especially seemed to be rocketing towards “voice of her generation” status. However, I challenge you to name one other supergroup that played bigger concerts together than apart. The furore and hype surrounding the band wasn’t just that three “famous” people were in it; their momentum was entirely their own.
Which begs the question, what comes next? I mean, on the one hand, the answer’s simple: their continuing solo projects. Bridgers has stayed under the radar since the tour for Boygenius’ debut album, The Record, ended, focusing mainly on her record label Saddest Factory. Baker has a collaboration album with Torres coming out soon. Lucy Dacus is poised for a banner year, with Forever Is A Feeling seemingly set to do for her what Punisher did for Bridgers five years ago and launch her from a cult act into the upper echelons of indie rock stardom.
On the other, I can imagine many people in their circle are looking longingly at the three Grammys Boygenius won in 2023, along with the handful of gold and silver records hanging on the wall. There was an air of finality about the pair of secret shows held at LA club The Smell in 2024, but none of them have explicitly ruled out a follow-up. Boygenius began life as a band that formed naturally, so continuing naturally could be the best option for them, especially considering their successful solo careers would most likely ensure they never turn to Boygenius for cynical reasons.
Honestly, though, Baker, Dacus and Bridgers are savvy enough to know that what they had with The Record was lightning in a bottle. If the three Geniuses returned, it would have to be something different, as diminishing returns come for us all. Perhaps the safest option is to keep all Boygenius activity locked up in the 2023 moment it blossomed. A moment of true, unpredictable serendipity that you had to be there for.
