Lucy Dacus Album Reviews

From Richmond, Virginia, Lucy Dacus is the daughter of a music teacher. She was raised in a Christian family, and her grappling with faith – a fervent believer in her early teens, she’s now a lapsed Christian – is a central part of her music.

Dacus attended film school, considering music merely a hobby even though she’d been writing songs since second grade. She only started playing live to audiences in 2015, the same year she recorded her debut album.

Dacus started as a lo-fi rocker with 2016’s No Burden, but her musical palette has expanded as her career has flourished. She’s also a member of Boygenius, along with Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker.

Lucy Dacus Album Reviews

No Burden

2016, 7/10
Dacus’ debut album was recorded in a single day, while Reba McEntire’s studio was unused. Dacus had only played solo shows before recording, so her pickup band had to quickly learn the songs in the days leading up to the session.

No Burden was a college project for guitarist Jacob Blizard, who recorded it over his winter break. No Burden is unsurprisingly raw, but oozes potential with Dacus’ honest lyrics and gritty guitar. It suffers in comparison to Dacus’ later work, as there’s little variation in mood with nonstop intensity.

Dacus’ wry humour is evident on ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore’, when she sings “I don’t need to be the frontman/if not, then I’ll be the biggest fan”. Dacus’ best tune on No Burden is ‘Strange Torpedo’, backed by some terrific squelchy guitar. ‘Troublemaker Doppelgänger’ has the memorable line “I wanna live in a world where I can keep my doors wide open”. ‘Trust’ is pared back to just Dacus’ voice with an acoustic guitar, while ‘Dream State…’ is pretty country.

No Burden was a successful debut for Dacus, topping some year-end critics’ lists but, in hindsight, it’s overshadowed by her subsequent work.

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Historian

2018, 8.5/10
Dacus recorded her second album for notable indie label Matador. It isn’t radically different from her first, again centred on a muscular rock band, but it’s more developed. The production is more professional, but it’s the depth of the songwriting that stands out. Dacus’ songs are deeply personal – she told RemoteControl that “this is the album I needed to make. Everything after this is a bonus.” The angsty guitar rock is reminiscent of Mitski albums like Bury Me At Makeout Creek.

The record is bookended by two epics – ‘Night Shift’ is Dacus’ first breakup song and it’s eloquent. On the closing ‘Pillar of Truth’, Dacus takes temporary solace in the faith of her youth. “Then my soul/Screams out to you” is a rare moment of hope on a harrowing record. ‘Pillar of Truth’ is among several songs with lovely lead guitar from Blizard – the introduction to ‘Body to Flame’ is also beautiful.

Historian confirms Dacus’ talent, able to turn personal memories into great songs without getting overwrought.

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Home Video

2021, 8.5/10
Home Video provides a graceful broadening of Dacus’ musical scope. There’s still guitar muscle but the tempos are slower and there’s more emphasis on lyrics. She’s an interesting lyricist, offering futile advice to friends and revisiting her adolescence. On ‘VBS’ she remembers the Vacation Bible School of her youth while on ‘Thumbs’ she sings to a friend;

You’ve been in his fist ever since you were a kid
But you don’t owe him shit even if he said you did

Home Video is mostly mellow and introspective, but there’s still stylistic variety. My favourite track is ‘Partner in Crime’, which blends tough guitar with pop-style processed vocals, while closer ‘Triple Dog Dare’ is a lengthy rocker with a rawer sound. The quieter songs put Dacus’ voice and lyrics in the spotlight – ‘Brando’ delivers another great one-liner:

You called me “cerebral”
I didn’t know what you meant
But now I do, would it have killed you
To call me pretty instead?

Home Video is a strong third album, setting Dacus up for a long and varied career.

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Forever is a Feeling

2025, 7/10
After Boygenius’ album cycle, Dacus has picked back up with her solo career. It’s noticeably different, less earthy and ambitious. She’s also in a relationship with her Boygenius bandmate Julien Baker,

They’re love songs, mostly. I was just thinking about how most art through time has been motivated by love, so it’s not like it’s new material. So while I was recording, I was just thinking about antiquity, both sonically and visually. That’s why I like the oil painting for the album cover and playing these museum shows before I properly go on tour. And sonically, too, having a harpist and strings players and a celesta, that’s a cool instrument. I think we put some harpsichord on it as well. Just kind of harkening back to some older sounds. I just thought that would make sense.

Lucy Dacus, NPR

It feels like Dacus has given up too much for a more mainstream sound, even though she’s still a good songwriter. She’s often effective in the pop/rock field, like on ‘Modigliani’, although the strongest moments occur when she leans into a rawer sound. ‘Talk’ is a concise rocker, with some edge in the guitar squall. The closer ‘Lost Time’ has the moments of catharsis that you expect from Dacus, especially when it hits top gear in the final minute. ‘Bullseye’ is a duet with Hozier, where they harmonise beautifully.

I don’t like to dictate what artistic direction, but I prefer Dacus making cathartic, raw rockers. There aren’t quite enough on Forever is a Feeling.

10 Best Lucy Dacus Songs

(leaving some space since she’s still clearly in her prime)
Night Shift
Partner in Crime
Pillar of Truth
Triple Dog Dare
Strange Torpedo
Lost Time
The Shell
VBS
Troublemaker Doppelganger

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