Lucy Dacus : Forever Is a Feeling
Lucy Dacus’ enters her fourth album and first for Geffen, Forever is a Feeling, at the peak of her abilities. It arrives on the cusp of her 30th birthday, though her sophisticated songwriting having been a signature since she made her debut at 21 with No Burden in 2016. Will St. John’s beautiful portrait on the album sleeve alludes to what is musically in store, fashioning Dacus’ in a strategically placed golden drape, bearing the album title as a chest piece tattoo. The singer said in a recent interview with Garth Greenwell, “I don’t usually show so much skin”; this is equally pertinent to both the renaissance-inspired cover art and Dacus’ personal renaissance as an artist, one in which her songwriting finds her much more exposed.
Album opener “Calliope Prelude” is a showcase for collaborator Phoenix Rousiamanis’ string arrangements, which play a prominent role throughout the LP. Dacus joins the proceedings on “Big Deal”, which provides a snarky commentary on seeing a former lover entering into a new marriage. The early single “Ankles” has quickly become a fan favorite, accomplishing a delicate balance of being more explicit in its sexuality while reflecting a mature perspective. These songs are geared for the generation that has already lived through one-dimensional hookup culture and is craving something deeper.
Alas, not all is bliss in Dacus’ relationships. “Limerence” finds the singer dealing with the feeling of forever waning. The end of a relationship that for all intents and purposes is outwardly great draws nigh as she asks herself, “Why do I feel alive when I’m behaving my worst?” Nor is that feeling of permanence palatable in “For Keeps,” which confronts the mortality of another dalliance.
Dacus’ insights on Forever is a Feeling take a turn from the bedroom to the boardroom on the album’s ninth track, “Come Out,” a commentary on the music industry. The stanzas contained within find the songwriter musing on feeling out of place beckoning to the whims of old white men in the business. The closing strains of this song yield to the album’s centerpiece, “Best Guess,” a love song that expounds the composer’s devotion to the pursuit of forever, while once again acknowledging that—much as the title suggests—it’s a feeling, not a promise. Forever Is a Feeling stands as a milestone for Dacus, and if it is any indication of what she still has left in the tank, there’s sure to be much more on the road ahead.
Label: Geffen
Year: 2025
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