Boy Jr. is more than just a TikTok star — they’re a bona fide musical force of reckoning.
The queer alt-pop artist built a huge following on social media for their high-energy content in addition to their eclectically layered sound; today (June 26), they’re back with more in the form of the therapeutic single “Bullying Myself,” a sampling of what’s to come from their forthcoming LP I Love Getting Dumped.
Simultaneously futuristic and nostalgic, “Bullying Myself” is another installment in Boy Jr.’s ongoing mission of DIY-produced genre-defying musical stylings. The track opens on a deeply grooving bassline before quickly swelling into a cool, scratchy, experimental masterclass. Coming in with a light-touch distortion on the lead vocals, a gremlin-adjacent synchronized choir emulates the titular negative self-talk in the background, and of course there’s a quick-hit sax-y instrumental break.
“[‘Bullying Myself’] is a song to listen to when you are fed up with how mean you’ve been treating yourself,” Boy Jr. says. “I find myself repeating a lot of the same unkind thoughts when I’m going through something, but if anyone ever said these things to me or a friend, I’d be pissed! So instead of letting it rot on the inside, I’m airing it out and releasing it outside.”
Emotional release has never sounded so good.