Mar 31, 2023 - Things to Do

Boygenius' big debut couldn't have happened without Philadelphia

Lucy Dacus at SXSW this year. Photo: Renee Dominguez/Getty Images for SXSW

Little-known fact: Boygenius was born in Philadelphia.

Driving the news: Music insiders are raving about today’s release of the indie rockers' debut album, “The Record.”

  • WXPN will be “playing the hell out of it” in the coming weeks, publicist Elise Brown tells Axios.

How it happened: All three bandmates are successful solo artists in their own right. Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers previously opened for Julien Baker.

  • She talked up Dacus and Bridgers to each other, and they met for the first time at Philly’s NonComm. The trio only planned to write a single song, but it turned into a six-track EP released in 2018. And here we are.

Why it matters: Boygenius joins badasses Meek Mill, the War on Drugs, et al in the diverse, Philly-linked pantheon of successful musical stars.

What they’re saying: “The power of boygenius is how something weird, unpredictable, and slightly dangerous happens when these three musical minds meld,” Rolling Stone wrote of “The Record.”

What we’re watching: World Cafe host Raina Douris is taping an interview with the songwriters next week for a national segment that'll run in May.

💭 Thought bubble from our own Shane Savitsky, who's a boygenius superfan:

I was in the crowd for the first show Lucy and Julien ever played together, so you can be sure I’ll be spinning this one all day. I wasn’t lucky enough to get an early copy, but if the single "Not Strong Enough" and the staggering early reviews are any indication, this is set to be huge.

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