From performances at Coachella and Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” to selling out Madison Square Garden, boygenius has had a whirlwind of a year.
The indie supergroup, consisting of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, released their debut full-length album titled “the record” in March, followed by its four-song companion EP “the rest” on Oct. 13.
On the evening of Oct. 12, Fingerprints Music announced via Instagram that boygenius would perform a live acoustic set in-store to celebrate the EP’s release.
To attend, fans needed to pre-order “the rest” on vinyl from the record store. 10 minutes after the initial announcement, Fingerprints posted that the event was sold out.
Hours before the performance, the line of fans extended around the corner of Fourth St. and Linden Ave.
With all three members identifying as queer, much of boygenius’ discography reflects themes of friendship and queer joy.
As a result, the band has amassed a large, dedicated fan base within the LGBTQ+ community.
For Long Beach resident Katie Brown, much of the band’s appeal lies in their reliability and lyricism.
“They are three of the greatest songwriters of their generation,” Brown said. “I feel very connected to the storytelling and music that they put out, and I think they do great things for the queer community.”
During their U.S. tour over the summer, many of boygenius’ shows were wild, energetic affairs, often ending with the band members piled on top of one another, or in some cases, completely topless.
The acoustic set had a more peaceful and intimate atmosphere. Attendees sat crowded together on the floor of the warmly-lit record store, surrounded by CD and vinyl racks, with the room at full capacity.
The band took the stage with Bridgers’ dog Maxine, and asked the crowd to snap in lieu of clapping and cheering, to avoid frightening her.
Dacus held Maxine in her lap for the majority of the set, later handing her off to an audience member during the final song.
Throughout the evening, the band performed songs from “the rest,” with added commentary explaining their meanings and songwriting process’.
“You don’t know how you got to your position, you don’t know how you have the power or disadvantage that you have either,” Baker said of their new song “Powers.”
“You just are, and you’re expected to just deal with it without questioning the origin of why.”
Apart from the new EP, the band closed the performance with two songs from “the record,” with the melancholy track “Cool About It,” and the upbeat, existential “Not Strong Enough.”
Attendee Maria Alvarado found the experience to be unlike anything she had seen from the band before.
“Their songwriting and the performance just feels so refreshing, so honest,” Alvarado said.
“There’s nothing like it, and just to see their friendship is so wholesome.”
For Liz Elze, who had attended a concert by the band MUNA the night before, where boygenius made a surprise appearance for a couple of songs, the acoustic performance was a welcome change of pace.
“That was so amazing and intimate,” Elze said.
“You just feel so close to it when it’s so raw. Them coming out here and explaining the songs for the first time makes you feel like you’re one with the music.”
boygenius’ next concert is scheduled for Oct. 31 at the Hollywood Bowl, supported by openers 100 gecs and Sloppy Jane.