Boygenius as Theology: Trinitarian Love, Musical Hermeneutics, and Spiritual Affordances in the Queer Indie-Rock Supergroup of the Century

This present thesis is a beginning exploration of the theological dimensions present in the indie-rock band boygenius, comprised of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. My aim is to offer a more robust account of their religious and spiritual significance than has been provided by previous scholars, critics and audience engagement. In doing so, I make clear the theological frameworks through which boygenius may be regarded, specifically through their interpenetrative loving friendship, their musical opus, and how these coalesce in the moment of performance. It is also my aim in this dissertation to show how Christian doctrine can be a fertile place for carrying out this work, and that theology provides language which makes the inarticulate phenomena of boygenius systematically legible and accessible.

Outline and method: 

In the first chapter, I introduce the key elements of the queer Trinitarian frameworks theorized by theologian Elizabeth Stuart in part one and then demonstrate how these aspects are emulated by boygenius in their group dynamics and friendship in part two. I make this link through the first-hand accounts of Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus in written and audio-recorded interviews. In the second chapter, I demonstrate how the musical output of boygenius may also be theologically significant through Jeremy Begbie’s Trinitarian music theory. In the second part, I carry out my own close reading of a song from boygenius’ the record (2023) through a predominantly lyrical and sonic analysis. In chapter three, I explore how boygenius’ friendship and music work may afford a religious experience live in concert. I explore this through the theological aesthetics of Gavin Hopps’ spiritual affordances, examining the provisional meaning made in the moment of performance through the case study of boygenius closing their 2023 tour at the Hollywood Bowl. In the conclusion, I address limits of this research and areas for further exploration regarding boygenius, popular music, queer studies, and theology.