Indie supergroup boygenius returned yesterday with “Not Strong Enough,” the fourth single from their forthcoming debut full-length, the record, which arrives March 31. In a Rolling Stone profile, writer Angie Martoccio describes “Not Strong Enough” as “the most communal” song on the project, and indeed, it gives seemingly equal space to Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker, the trio of singer-songwriters who formed the group back in 2018. As with the previous singles from this eagerly anticipated album, “Not Strong Enough” raced to the top of the Genius Top Songs chart.
In a press release, boygenius say the breezy rock track is about “paradoxically experiencing self-hatred while having a God complex.” In the opening verse, Bridgers seemingly explores the former mindstate, chiding herself for being too lazy to fiddle with digital clocks.
Black hole opened in the kitchen
Every clock’s a different time
It would only take the energy to fix it
I don’t know why I am
Bridgers is joined by Baker on the first chorus, which was inspired by the 1994 Sheryl Crow hit “Strong Enough.”
The way I am
Not strong enough to be your man
“The two wolves inside us can be self-hatred and self-aggrandizing,” Bridgers told Rolling Stone, describing the impetus for this song. “Being like, ‘I’m not strong enough to show up for you. I can’t be the partner that you want me to be.’ But also being like, ‘I’m too fucked up. I’m unknowable in some deep way!’ Self-hatred is a god complex sometimes, where you think you’re the most fucked-up person who’s ever lived. Straight up, you’re not. And it can make people behave really selfishly, and I love each of our interpretations of that concept.”
Baker takes the second verse and imagines speeding around L.A. while rocking The Cure. Sounds like fun, but she can’t shake the feeling something horrible is going to happen.
Drag racing through the canyon
Singing “Boys Don’t Cry”
Do you see us getting scraped up off the pavement?
Dacus gets her showcase later in the song. On the bridge, she admits that she’s no deity, and the way she sings it suggests that might be OK.
Always an angel, never a god
Always an angel, never a god
Always an angel, never a god
Always an angel, never a god
The song ends with one more chorus. This time it’s Dacus, who’s seemingly moving toward some kind of greater understanding, perhaps as she gets over a painful relationship.
I don’t know why I am the way I am
There’s something in the static
I think I’ve been having revelations
Coming to in the front seat, nearly empty
Skip the exit to our old street and go home
Go home alone
“Not Strong Enough” arrived with a music video that features Bridgers, Baker, and Dacus having a lovely day in Southern California. They hit the amusement park, the art museum, and the mini-golf course before enjoying a bonfire on the beach.
You can read all the lyrics to “Not Strong Enough” on Genius now.
