First played live at Re:SET New York on June 17, 2023, “Boyfriends” is a variation on a since-removed demo once posted to the SoundCloud account Marshall and Ruby by Marshall Vore and Ruby Henley. The duo previously wrote and posted the demo version of the Phoebe Bridgers song Sidelines.

The trio introduced the song during their live performance:

We’ve never played this song, but this is for all the boyfriends here. We love you.