Boygenius—the trio of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus—brought all the mellow vibes to their Saturday Night Live debut on November 11 with a pair of performances. After an introduction from host Timothee Chalamet, the group packed an indie-pop punch with “Not Strong Enough” and “Satanist.”
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Equipped with guitars, the singer/songwriters paint a distorted picture on “Not Strong Enough” with such lyrics as: The way I am, not strong enough to be your man / I lie, I am just lowering your expectations / Half a mind that keeps the other second guessing / Close my eyes and count / Always an angel, never a god. The performance was made even more enjoyable by an impromptu jam session with their all-female band.
They kept the energy high with “Satanist,” the set complete with red lights, head banging, and stark lyricism. Will you be a satanist with me? / Mortgage off your soul to buy your dream / Vacation home in Florida / The collateral, the devil’s repossessin’ from me / Tryin’ to score some off-brand ecstasy, Baker sneers in the opening verse. The performance reaches a climax when the spotlights turn red, shining down on the musicians as they wail on their instruments, leading into a moody, a capella finish.
[RELATED: Grammy-nominated Boygenius Tell What it Means to Get the Band Back Together]
Both songs are featured on boygenius’ debut album, The Record, released in March. The project received universal acclaim and scored the band seven nominations at the 2024 Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best Alternative Music Album, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for The Record, Record of the Year for “Not Strong Enough,” Best Rock Song, Best Rock Performance, and Best Alternative Music Performance for “Cool About It.”
“It felt like, if this is real, my life is gonna change,” Dacus told British GQ about the band reuniting for The Record. “I felt so hopeless at that time. So to have this idea of making something with them, and seeing them in the future, was a tether to joy.”
Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Tibet House US
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