Lucy Dacus answered the phone with a whisper. She cordially explained her situation at the same volume.
“I’m going to keep looking at art, but I’m here so I’m going to whisper to you through this interview,” Dacus whispered.
In what was surely an unintended recreation of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” the indie rock supergroup found themselves sharing their day off together exploring art.
This desire to be together — even when off the clock — makes Boygenius a special moment in the careers of three immensely talented artists.
“We’ve known each other as friends before becoming a band. I’ve known Julien for years, and she introduced me to Phoebe’s music and I met Phoebe earlier this year,” Dacus said.
This friendship with Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers allowed Boygenius to work quickly. Dacus discussed the process going well, even with so much talent used to being independent.
The three artists brought ideas they wanted to work on and the collaboration allowed for the songs to come to life.
“Basically, we wanted to record something so we can play together on tour and it went from one song to what we have now,” Dacus said.
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The idea for Boygenius initially began as a tour of the three indie rockers. From there, the project evolved into a full-fledged EP of six tracks where each artist’s influence tastefully soaks through. A true blend of the three without any single piece overpowering the others.
The Boygenius EP serves as an example of what a collaboration can and should be. The results show in the fans from all three artists — often overlapping — showing joy with the outcome of the project.
“I like having the attention off of me solely. It’s been like a really joyful time. All of us are pretty serious in our music. Like, it’s not that we’re not joyful people. Our shows are generally maybe somber or demanding emotionally, but these shows have just been a ton of fun,” Dacus said.
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For Dacus, Boygenius has not only allowed her to explore a different point of her songwriting but to take a step back and not face the burdening pressure from releasing such intimate thoughts and feelings as a solo artist.
As for the future of Boygenius, that remains uncertain. Dacus, Baker and Bridgers don’t seem to be placing too much thought on the future. They continue to enjoy the unique moment they share together as not only the biggest rising stars in their genre banding together, but as friends embarking on tour.
“Nobody knows, including us,” Dacus said. “I mean, we’re having a really good time and I think we’ll be sad when it’s over, but we have other stuff in the works.”
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Boygenius will make their stop in Madison at The Sylvee this Friday, Nov. 16. All three artists have performed in Madison in the last year, it’s only right this return should bring a full crowd.
The performance includes solo performances from all three artists and a performance as Boygenius. This unique show may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so fans of Dacus, Baker and Bridgers should not miss the chance to see all three together.
