WOMEN R LEADING INDIE ROCK
lIlluminati Hotties, Lucy Dacus, Beach Bunny, Phoebe Bridger's Boygenius
When you hear the term supergroup, you may picture a bunch of old men with guitars but past their prime—the rockstar equivalent of a dad band. But, instead, the three women of boy genius (yep, all lowercase, one word like a coffeeshop wifi password) are the supergroup saving indie rock from itself.
But wait, one may say, “What about Modest Mouse and The Golden Casket?” Yeah, it’s good. However, the people doing something interesting in indie rock right now are the women.
The future belongs to the youth. Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus are 26, 25, and 26, respectively. All three came up on their own before coming together. What it has as a collective seems more like a creative writing workshop rather than a band—getting together just made sense—being three young women all going the same direction, in similar places in life, i.e., not yet completely jaded by the Industry.
Despite being the future, the group is very much connected to the past and has no qualms about paying tribute to heroes. For example, it covers The Chicks “Cowboy Take Me Away” in a KEXP Seattle performance (see link below) and Bridgers covers “Nothing Else Matters” on Metallica’s Blacklist (due out September 10).
The women all bring a different sensibility to the table. Rolling Stone said it best: “Bridgers merges Elliott Smith-indebted folk-pop melody with a conversational, thoroughly modern approach to storytelling; Baker imbues secular genres like roots-folk and emo-punk with an urgent spirituality; and Dacus navigates political and familial currents by incorporating elements of pop, blues and grunge into her band’s sound.” As for their latest releases, we would add Baker’s raw storytelling. Little Oblivions is refreshing, Dacus’s Home Video is the musical equivalent of sitting up all night with a friend you’ve known all your life, and they tell you stories that you’ve never heard, and Bridgers’s Punisher is everything.
Start with these albums, then listen to the boygenius EP. You’ll be glad you did.
Other women kicking indie ass are Sarah Tudzin, aka Illuminati Hotties, and Lili Trifilio, the creative force of Beach Bunny.
Sarah Tudzin, a couple of years ago, was more behind the music, working as a sound engineer for Porches, Logic, and Tim Heidecker. But, thank God she jumped out front. Her self-proclaimed softcore punk is just plain poppy, rapid-fire fun.
Trifilio’s throwback emo sensibility may harken back to the early aughts, but make no mistake, this time, there is a woman out front and in charge. Watch her, soon she’ll be everywhere.
