Boygenius is the ironically named trio consisting of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker. Styled in all lowercase, the group’s name is a playful jab at self-decidedly-intellectual-manchildren that the women in the group grew tired of working with. The group’s first album, the record, celebrates, mourns, and navigates relationships, identity, and all that colors the ordinary moments of life. Handling a plethora of topics with graceful and poignant lyrics, the group has created an indie-rock treasure.

The trio first released the self-titled EP boygenius in 2018, featuring six tracks, creating a cult following that merged audiences of Bridgers, Dacus, and Baker. In March, they dropped the record after releasing a series of singles in anticipation.

The record begins with the track “Without You Without Them.” Layered voices sing “I want you to hear my story, and be a part of it.” In the album’s initial minutes, it asks to be listened to through soft unassuming harmonies. The song requests a reciprocal relationship between the narrator and the recipient “you,” where equal and open communication is queen.

“Emily I’m Sorry” is the most listened to track on the album, currently sitting over 14 million plays. Bridgers sings with a bored ambivalence, commonplace in her solo work. The song is a series of apologies to “Emily,” tracing a process of becoming and unraveling in comparison to a loved one. “Emily, I’m sorry I just / Make it up as I go along / And I can feel myself becoming / Someone only you could want,” Bridgers sings. The song is apologetic, remorseful and delicate without accepting real responsibility. The track concludes with a bare resolution, “I’m twenty seven and I don’t who I am / But I know what I want,” showing glimpses of self-recognition, before returning to the fading refrain of “Emily I’m sorry.”

The next track is another examination of self through others. Dacus sings about a lover, and in turn explores her own invisibility to herself. “But it feels good to be known so well / I can’t hide from you like I hide from myself” she sings. Inherent in its title, “True Blue” isn’t bare praise. Dacus calls the love “tough” and “tried and true-blue.” The lyrics sing praise of what this person does for Dacus’ self-image, rather than the person themself. The track again ends with a melancholy refrain, this time the repetition of “blue.” This person–and their love– is far from perfect, but the feeling of meaning gained from the relationship makes it all worth it. Sonically, the lyrics ring true. The track feels settled and melancholy, but not yet heartbroken.

Later in the album, the revelations of “True Blue” are gone. In “Leonard Cohen” Dacus sings “You said, ‘I might like you less now that you know me so well’ / I might like you less now that you know me so well.” This song is about a friendship-building moment the three women shared while listening to a Leonard Cohen song, resulting in a series of missed exits and an additional hour on their road trip. Because this song is about relationships with each other, it is playful. The bandmates likely still love each other while knowing each other so well, but the fear of emotional intimacy persists.

Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus all openly talk about being queer and take pride in Boygenius’ queer identity. Their success provides women and the LGBTQ community with role models within rock, a genre that has been heavily dominated by straight men. With the record they not only handle emotional topics, but challenge stereotypes that exist within the genre.