In fact, the whole thing was filmed on an iPhone in a little over a day.
Three besties, just hanging out.
Or, as Dacus put it so eloquently, We dead-wifed each other.
Matt Grubb/Shervin Lainez
The trio are most engaged when theyre speaking to one another, and thats just fine with me.
To be a fourth party on the Zoom feels like both a privilege and an intrusion.
They have a disarming relatability about them, riffing onBroad Citymemes (Im only 27.
What am I, a child bride?
I like being scary), though theyre far from your average 27- and 28-year-olds.
They are indie rock darlings.
They are heralded as the voices of their generation.
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The boys released their self-titled EP in 2018.
The record was famously written and recorded in just five days and instantly met with rave reviews.
Glamour: Tell me a little bit about how you guys reconnected and started working on music together again.
Lucy Dacus:We never reconnected.
Lucy:Have an excuse to hang out a lot.
You released your first EP five years ago.
Has any part of the dynamic in terms of making your music changed in that time?
Phoebe:Yeah, tons.
But its hard to know what.
I think just the comfortability of having done it more.
We just believe in each others space in that way, so it was a comfortable transition.
Is it that the lyrics are fucked up?
Or is it that the drum tone isnt…stuff that I wouldnt notice.
I was just watching your Not Strong Enough music video and wanted to know the story behind it.
How did you come up with the concept?
It looks like its shot on an iPhone?
Lucy:It was shot on an iPhone, and it was shot by us of each other.
Julien:It was a little contrived.
Lucy:And that’s on us too.
We werent having good ideas.
Then we were like, What if we just make it ourselves this way in a day?
And then Phoebes brother edited it together.
So we dead wifed each other.
Julien:Yall always say its the dead-wife thing.
Julien:People did that on YouTube too.
Lucy:Yeah, I did do that.
Did I tell you that I did that?
Julien:I did that for the song Now That Were Done by Metro Station.
Are these songs on YouTube?
Or they have been wiped from the internet?
Julien:No, theyre not on YouTube any more….
I know what Im going to search for after this.
Julien: Theres no need to do that.
The dead wife idea is funny because I feel like its kind of a thing now.
Lucy: Oh, my God.
Did you also have a thought of a terrible slideshow at a serious funeral?
Where I was like, I cant believe they let them do this?
Lucy:No, I was going to admit something way more embarrassing.
One time I was like, I wonder if I died today what images people would be posting?
I Google Imagesearched myself.
I was like, Yeah, you just turn so many things to black-and-white and its sad.
Thats just so embarrassing.
So the video was all shot in one day?
It was fun to get out of work mode.
You know what I mean?
So its just doing hooligan shit with yall.
Tell me about the song $20.
It feels like such a great blend of your strengths.
So originally we had individual moments.
Phoebes only original moment was going to be that, which I thought was very funny.
Or I guess, hitchhikers wouldnt be in their own van, but you know what I mean?
Yeah, the vibe.
Phoebe:The vibe of traveling friends and my only contribution is needing 20 bucks.
I was like, Im rich right now.
Phoebe:Youre asking for the full kingdom.
Julien:This is $1.86 short of a Hot Topic T-shirt.
You know what I mean?
I wanted to have something that I would have fun playing.
You know what I mean?
Its like finding out.
Its like an exquisite corpse.
Oh, my God, beautiful.
Real quickdo you guys call each other the boys?
Do you have a group chat name?
Lucy:No, its just a group chat.
Phoebe:Its tight that we dont.
Were in so many group chats, the three of us and other people, that all have names.
But our group chat is just our names, which is sweet.
I think about that all the time.
You guys are going on tour later this year.
How do keep each other sane, keep individually sane?
Lucy:I feel that actually happens pretty effortlessly by hanging out.
Or, Oh, youre asleep?
Wake up, its time to work.
All of us have our own ships, apart from Boygenius, that were trying to command.
So yeah, we have tried to build in extra days to our trips.
And often they do get eaten up.
Were getting better at defending our time.
I need that sometimes and wont ask for it.
Because caring for other people, sometimes it begins as an inside job.
Julien, youre a runner.
Lucy or Phoebe, do you have any stress relieving activities that are just your go-tos?
And then I learned some vocal behaviors to not have it recur.
Which it hasnt, which is awesome.
On tour I have a go at get at least a full hour of being awake in silence.
Sometimes Ill get three or four.
At home all my roommates know that its happening, so people dont ask me for things.
Its nice to just maintain that silence for a while.
Phoebe:I like yoga.
Ive been doing yoga for years.
Its just exactly the kind of exercise that I like, which is you dont really notice its happening.
I hate core work and everything Pilates.
I hate fucking Pilates.
Tell me something I dont know about the first time you guys met.
Phoebe:We met separately.
Lucy:[To Julien] Did I meet you before Phoebe, or did yall meet first?
Julien:I thought I met Phoebe first because I was hyping Phoebe to you.
No, maybe it was other way.
Phoebe:Yeah, I thought it was the other way around.
I feel Lucy was ever-present in your scene, which is so weird.
Julien:I found [Phoebes] SoundCloud, I thought, This person looks cool.
I hope shes nice to me when I meet her on stage.
Lucy:I was intimidated to meet you, Phoebe, because you were hyped so much by Julien.
Are you surprised by that?
Just the idea of me being intimidating.
And everybody was like, You are fucking scary.
Lucy:You are.
Phoebe:Thanks, guys.
Julien:Youre scary.
Phoebe:Hype me up.
I like being scary.
Lucy:I know, I feel you wield it on purpose.
Phoebe:Thats so funny.
Julien:This is your shit!
No, of course.
Because youre like, Ah, this song is so dumbmost beautiful shit I’ve ever heard.
Youre like, No, I’m not scary.
And then youre terrifying.
Lucy:Yeah, I was intimidated to meet you.
And I just didnt.
I saw you play at Juliens managers record store in Richmond.
Which was a brief hello and then I left.
Lucy:I remember how it goes.
We did a hand thing, and then we went in a circle and slapped the other arm.
Julien:I was like, Hell yeah.
Lucy:Double eagle.
Julien:The first time I heard Motion Sickness, Phoebe played it at the El Rey.
Phoebe:Thats the first time I ever played it.
Everybody leave me alone.
I was just so trying to do Julien Baker because your songs do that.
Theres a refrain at the end that is really earned.
I love getting to know how you guys were influencing each other at this time.
That was what, 2016?
Julien:Was I still whipping the Accord?
I was in the Hyundai, so it was 2016.
Ive totaled four fucking cars.
Thats how I measure time.
Im like, Was this Hyundai era or was this….
Oh, my God.
I dont think we have enough time to get into your car
Julien:No, dont worry.
Its because Im bad at driving.
Thats the end of the story.
Whos the most likely to show up late?
And who’s the most likely to show up early?
Lucy:Phoebes late.
Julien:Lucy is early.
I say that I will be early and prepared and I show up late and kind of prepared.
Lucy:Ive been realizing that your world doesnt fall apart if youre late to things.
I think I have a healthy dose of chaos addiction and Im overworked.
So sometimes its an act of violence on my schedule to throw it off.
Julien:Theres an argument for punctualism being capitalist.
Oh, my God, a puppy.
[Phoebe holds her black pug, Maxine, up to the camera.]
Lucy and Julien in unison:Little bub.
Last questionwould you ever get a group tattoo and if so, what would it be?
Lucy:We have two.
The album art has us showing the teeth that are on our wrist.
I didnt look close enough.
Lucy:The second is Three of Cups, which is a tarot reference.
I feel we stop ourselves from getting more.
Whats the idea thats percolating?
Lucy:Live, laugh, love lip tats, which Im still game for.
Phoebe:Im still so game, its just real estate that wont be used.
Julien:It takes zero effort to convince me.
