boygenius
The Record
One of the most anticipated albums of 2023, thus far, surely must be boygenius’ The Record. The band, which formed in 2018, is composed of Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, and Phoebe Bridgers. Prior to meeting in 2016, Dacus and Baker had released a few EPs and albums, while Bridgers was relatively new on the scene. Since then, the three wickedly talented songwriters—who share spots on a Venn diagram labeled with the Spotify playlists Wanderlust, My Life is a Movie, and Sad Indie—have built tremendous solo careers. In 2021, Baker released the critically acclaimed Little Oblivions, while Dacus’ Home Video propelled her nationally, and Punisher earned Bridgers four Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album.
Three singles from The Record’s 12 tracks were released in January, and at press time the titles “$20,” “Emily I’m Sorry,” and “True Blue,” have over 5 million streams each on Spotify. The pure magic of boygenius is the combination of the artists—very good in their individual performances, and magnificent when together, harmonizing or backing each other up as one takes the lead.
The trio’s name plays on the industry stereotype of a male artist being called a “boy genius,” and digs at its members’ collective negative experience with male musicians. After connecting at a festival, Dacus, Baker, and Bridgers knew they wanted to work together, and went into the studio with a team that was exclusively women to make boygenius’ self-titled debut EP over the course of four days. Ironically, the EP pays homage to Crosby, Stills & Nash’s debut studio album, right down to the iconic cover art, and like CSN each boygenius songwriter takes the lead at some point.
All three members of the group have identified as part of the LGBTQ+ community, and themes of sexuality and spirituality run through their solo catalog, as well as boygenius’ tracks. With every song that members of the trio write, they seem to be living parallel lives with songs of lost love, and emotional, physical, or even drug abuse and loneliness. boygenius’ The Record is due out on March 31.
Virginia Man
These Four Words
Look out for Virginia Man, a four-piece out of Fredericksburg that has ties all over the state, including Charlottesville. The group’s recent EP, These Four Words, has five songs that feel like the unseasonably warm winter we’ve experienced—poetic lyrics disguised in spring fever with some chilly nights. Virginia Man opens for Sam Burchfield & The Scoundrels on Friday, April 21, at The Camel in Richmond. (Released on February 10.)
Illiterate Light
Sunburned
Illiterate Light’s new album Sunburned is the latest good thing to happen for the Harrisonburg-based band. Last year, the group signed with indie label Thirty Tigers (Amanda Shires, Jason Isbell, Michael Franti), and it’s turning folk music on its head by inserting hard rock and drums everywhere.
Sunburned is an album that feels larger than life. (Released on January 28.)—Samantha Federico