I want to be friends with boygenius

Sounds | Megan Ding

Graphic by Alex Eun inspired by Megan’s concert photo

My ears, throat, legs, and heart are aching … for Julien Baker. boygenius is a supergroup that Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus created as a project of love and mutual appreciation for each other. Just by listening to the first track of their new album, the record, I had my brain massaged by a beach tide of flowing harmonies. I have come to cherish this trio and the overwhelming care that each of these guys has for boygenius. I couldn’t possibly carve out more of my heart for a group of people I have never seen in real life …

On June 21st, 2023, National Indigenous Peoples Day, the Summer Solstice, Lana Del Rey’s birthday, and the date of my CSC207 midterm, boygenius came to Toronto and rocked (in a non-cheesy way) the Budweiser Stage. The merch lines were long (they sold out of the ‘Demon’ hoodie I wanted), the food was expensive, and the cost of all Dr. Martens I counted could buy a Chevy El Camino. Despite the capitalist wasteland that surrounded the Budweiser Stage, that evening featured alt, cottage core, homemade merch-wearing Gen Z, and the occasional unaccompanied parent. 

Claud opened for boygenius, giving me another album and three EPs to binge. Most of my exposure to bedroom pop has been passive, mostly from Spotify advertisements and the “autoplay a song you didn’t ask for but other people who listened to this album like” feature. His music was like the perfect listening appetizer before the main star. They also played “Betty”, which is the closest I’ll ever get to seeing the Eras Tour live. Toronto locals, Broken Social Scene, followed Claud with a post-rock set. I’m not well acquainted with Broken Social Scene’s sound but the 11 people on stage and their communal attitude kept me interested. They feel like the indie rock counterpart of a big band with their full, but unmuddled sound.  

Today was an important day not only for concertgoers but also it was a day to solely celebrate indigenous people. Several indigenous youths provided a meaningful land acknowledgment prior to the concert commencing. They mentioned the actual treaties that apply to Tkaronto, the Indigenous Hope for Wellness Help Line (1-855-242-3310), and how every day is Indigenous Peoples Day when we live on indigenous land. The crowd hyped them up, even at inappropriate times when I wished that we could just let the speakers finish their thoughts. But it seemed like everyone heard their message. 

Then, 30 minutes after they were supposed to enter, boygenius began singing a shortened version of “Without You Without Them” from backstage. I never thought that I could feel so exhilarated from a gentle acapella song but the crowd and I were vibrating with energy. My favourite song from the record, “$20”, was second on the set list and the following songs were some of their most popular. During this, Dacus revealed that she had a concussion, but was given the “okay” by her doctor to perform, so she would be sitting down and wearing her sunglasses for the show. Dacus’s persistence and the energy of the Boy’s songs resulted in us waving our arms back and forth for every quarter note in “True Blue”, causing Bridgers to comment on how “creepy” we looked. 

The frantic energy of the audience was quelled by the start of “Cool about It”, when we placed coloured paper over our phone cameras, to create a rainbow night sky in the crowd. The Boys had to restart the song since they were taken off guard by the display. My red piece of paper remains in my souvenir box. The slower tempo of the song and the soft moment we had with the band set the tone for the rest of the concert. 

Each song, no matter how vulnerable, such as “We’re in Love”, had everyone singing and screaming along. The only exception was “Boyfriends”, the summery, unreleased pop-rock bop that boygenius played for the first time only a few days prior in New York City. During “Letter to an Old Poet”, Bridgers asked the audience to put their phones away so she could look at our faces as she sang. I never wanted to be in the pit so badly as when Bridgers let herself be hugged by the first row of the audience. 

The show was a few songs short, presumably due to the late start time and Toronto’s noise curfew- what a pain.  With an album of a dozen interconnected songs and a devoted fan base, “Bite the Hand”, and individual songs “Favor” by Baker, and “Please Stay” by Dacus were dearly missed. Even if they had played their entire combined discography, I would be left desiring more JulienPhoebeLucy. Every piece the Boys performed sounded like their official recordings and surpassed them. Baker winced as she sang her truth, Bridger engaged the crowd (though I think everyone there wishes they were engaged to her already), Dacus occasionally stripped off her sunglasses for the drama, and the show ended with the Boys piled together as Dacus held Baker up while the latter shredded and Bridgers kissed their faces and feet. 

The only criticism that comes to mind is not for the concert, but for the concertgoers. I understand that this is a problem for all large events, but the amount of litter the audience left on Bacardi Hill post-performance was irresponsible. Not two hours after our peers give a land acknowledegment, do we forget to respect the ground near our feet and the caretakers who come after us? I would appreciate every performer (not just the band of females) shouldering some responsibility by asking their audience to pick up two pieces of trash as they leave the venue. 

Since the concert, I’ve been even more enthralled with boygenius, listening to their entire discography twice everyday. In the YouTube comments of the Boys’ songs, I often read people remarking on how amazing it is for young people to embody the ‘80s sound so well. However, boygenius’ sound is so much more than a retro callback or the “sad white girl” music to which the works of Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus are often reduced. Their show made this extremely apparent, with every song performance featuring caring looks among the band (and backing musicians), revealing how forming this group allowed for each of the Boys to express the topics explored in the record and to share their best. 

boygenius is my current musical hyper-fixation (if you couldn’t tell) and while I know that my obsession with their music will wane with time, I hope that the Boys will continue to have a long career together. Their emotionally mature relationship, and the fact that they’ve had group therapy together, suggests to me that this band has more self-awareness than their predecessors. If the Boys ever play Toronto again, you’ll find me on the verge of tears, in the cheapest section of the venue, singing the words to the best love song I’ve ever heard.