Lucy Dacus flourishes into spring with her captivating, ethereal vocals and emotionally yearning lyrics in her fourth studio album, “Forever is a Feeling.”
Lucy Dacus, born as Lucy Elizabeth Dacus, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Dacus was born in Richmond, Virginia and throughout her childhood, she grew up surrounded by music through her church and her adoptive musician parents. In high school, she began producing her own music in her senior year, eventually releasing her first album, “No Burden,” which launched her into the spotlight. Years later, Dacus has now worked on several musical projects such as “Historian,” “Home Video” and “the record” and collaborated with several artists such as supergroup Boygenius, which she’s a part of and Jacob Blizzard. She is living in Los Angeles alongside her partner and Boygenius bandmate Julien Baker.
“Forever is a Feeling” was released on March 28 with 13 tracks and a total running time of 43 minutes. This indie folk album is produced by producers Melina Duterete, Jake Finch, Andrew Lappin, Blake Mills, Colin Pastore and Bartees Strange. Additionally, the album includes one feature from Hozier and background vocals from Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker.
Inspired by her own experiences surrounding religion growing up, long-lasting friendships and loving relationships, Dacus incorporates these themes and concepts into her music constantly. For “Forever is a Feeling,” Dacus combined all of her past and present experiences stemming from these themes to form a beautifully emotional album.
“Everything comes at a cost, in a way,” said Dacus in an interview with NPR about the album. “And I’m happy to report I’m in a life that I really love and cherish, but I had to, you know, shed another life that I really loved and cherish in order to be here. It was just the desire to experience something different that motivated me.”
Despite being a musician for years now, Dacus has always been authentically herself all through her work. Throughout this album, Dacus doesn’t shy away from being her most vulnerable self, showcasing all her emotions from love to loss. From the first track on the album, consisting of a peaceful instrumental piece “Calliope Prelude,” to the last track of the album, “Lost Time,” containing a mournful yet yearning melody, Dacus perfectly explores the complexity behind emotions.
Of all the songs on this album, my personal favorite is “Bullseye” featuring Hozier. “Bullseye” is the 11th track on the album and is about a peaceful reflection on the emotional aftermath of a past relationship. I absolutely love how well Dacus’ and Hozier’s voices melt together to make this nostalgic song. The lyrics are beautifully written, displaying the nostalgia for young love along with the wisdom of age through reflection.
“I think the challenge was living a life that showed me these things, and believing what I was saying,” said Dacus in an interview with Variety. “The hard part for me is not actually in the writing. It’s being able to express to myself: ‘OK, I actually do think this,’ and making peace with being a person that’s constantly changing and just drowning in nuance.”
“Forever is a Feeling” has shown once again that Dacus never fails to impress her audience through incredible songs such as “Ankles,” “Best Guess” and “Big Deal.” She has always been able to stay true to her emotions throughout her career as a musician, which has helped her successfully grow her fanbase over the years and made her the artist she is today. With loving lyrics, sincere sound, and poetic production, there’s no doubt that her future work will continue to impress listeners and help her flourish even further.
