A Queer Musical Duo Bringing New Sounds to Music

Boyish will release their debut album, “Gun,” Sept. 12 on the record label R&R.

“Gun” transports listeners to a fictional town of Boyish’s own creation. Inspired by their countless adventures through “middle-of-nowhere” places in the U.S., India Shore and Claire Altendahl tell a love story that slowly unfolds as each song plays.

The duo first began the songwriting process for their upcoming album in October 2023. However, it wasn’t until April 2025 that the recording and production process started, collaborating with producer and musician Loren Humphrey in Tuxedo Park, N.Y., to bring the eclectic 11-track album to life over two months.

“He happened to be flying to LA on the day we reached out, and we got food one time and decided to do it together,” Shore says. “[We] went to New York and lived with him and recorded it at his home.”

Humphrey’s portfolio is filled to the brim with iconic artists and projects; having worked alongside Lana Del Rey, Cults, Arctic Monkeys and many more.

They recorded on an AMPEX MM-1200 two-inch tape machine. With the nature of the machine, any mistake that was made while recording forced the duo to rewind the tape and do a complete restart. Altendahl described Humphrey as a “tape wizard” who helped them solidify their artistic sound, given the lack of room for error when using tape machines. 

“It’s really different recording with a new person,” Shore says. “Claire and I have been doing it for so long, just the two of us, and adding a third person was incredibly helpful, especially with Loren being who he is.”

“Jumbos,” the lead single released in July, was inspired by their visit to a Los Angeles strip club, voted the best in Southern California: Jumbo’s Clown Room. Shore and Altendahl went to the strip club for a friend’s birthday party and left with ideas for a single and a new friend, Jumbo’s Clown Room dancer Gabrielle Alexandra.

Alexandra showed off her pole dancing abilities in the “Jumbos” music video that was released on July 18. Shore and Altendahl did a live performance of the song directly behind her. 

“BIG” is a guitar-heavy single that was released in August, displaying the duo’s wide range of gentle melodies and angsty instrumentals. While the album is designed to be experienced in chronological track order, telling the tale of a lovestruck couple in “Gun,” they also say the listening experience with the album on shuffle can be really enjoyable and fun too.

“My biggest hope for this album is, when people hear it, they are transported into that world,” Altendahl says. “I love when an album has that effect on me.”

The two met while attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, but didn’t become Boyish until shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2020, just before the world shut down, the indie-alternative duo released their first EP, “Garden Spider.” 

Boyish used the lockdown as an opportunity to establish their unique sound. After releasing another EP titled “We’re all gonna die, but here’s my contribution” in 2021, they launched into stardom.

Shortly thereafter, Music Forward Foundation awarded Boyish with the LGBTQ+ Emerging Artist Award in 2021. They also appeared on an RSDxVans vinyl compilation feature alongside Taylor Swift, Julien Baker and Girl in Red.

They’ve since also collaborated with several other well-known artists, including King Princess and Rachel Chinouriri, and toured with Minnesota-native band Hippo Campus, The Beaches, Claud and Spill Tab.

To celebrate the release of their upcoming album, Boyish will be performing at Troubadour in Los Angeles on Oct. 22 and Bowery Ballroom in New York City on Nov. 6. These performances follow their return to the U.S. from their first-ever headline European tour beginning this September. U.S. tour dates are to be announced soon.

Visit boyishmusic.com to learn more and to view their current list of shows.