How Boygenius went from indie supergroup to internet darlings
If you don't take antidepressants, or if you like upbeat music, or if you don't spend far too much of your time online, then you might be confused with all the talk about Boygenius. Or, perhaps more likely, you haven't seen any talk of Boygenius, like, at all.
But trust me, for a certain corner of the internet, it's been a huge week. Boygenius is the supergroup composed of the musicians Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker, each of whom are darlings for the melancholic in their own right. Together, they are an unstoppable trio of songwriters who come together like Voltron to make the saddest shit you've ever heard. And they just announced a new album.
I don't know if you've ever heard 1,800 people scream, "I want to be emaciated" all at once, but I have and it's only something Boygenius could do. The band debuted in 2018 with a self-titled EP — which ruled — and each member has only grown in popularity since. Bridgers is a legit celebrity now.
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So when the supergroup finally announced their long-rumored follow-up — and dropped three new songs — people online were super excited. (People is me, I am people.)
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The jokes were also great.
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In case you were wondering, the excitement is all over TikTok as well.
It's fascinating to see how Boygenius has gone from small indie trio to "the world's most exciting supergroup." It just goes to show how much the internet itself has shifted. In 2018, the internet centered on political doomscrolling, while 2023's vibes lean more toward the apocalyptic absurd. That's perfect for Boygenius. The trio creates sad, lovely music, yes. But they're also funny — the name of the band, for one — in an absurd, laughing into the abyss sort of way.
That's part of the reason Bridgers has ascended from indie darling to patron saint of sad in the last five years. She's funny and self aware and, sure, has an interesting love life that people follow incessantly.
The world's gotten sadder. The band's gotten more famous. It makes sense the memes, jokes, and excitement were omnipresent online this week. Hell, they were on the cover of Rolling Stone.
Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).
