Atwood Magazine's writers share their thoughts on Lucy Dacus’ deeply personal, luminously beautiful, and lyrically profound fourth album, ‘Forever Is a Feeling.’ They delve into its intricate explorations of love, time, vulnerability, and the essence of truly “making the most of it.” Contributing to this discussion are Atwood writers Bárbara Martínez Campuzano, Christine Buckley, Josh Weiner, and Mitch Mosk!
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To begin with, how do you connect with Lucy Dacus’ music?
Josh Weiner: I appreciate her work just like many others do. While I haven't explored her entire discography, I've enjoyed some of her recent albums and her collaborations with boygenius. I can confidently say she's a skilled musician and a powerful vocalist.
Bárbara Martínez Campuzano: I've been a fan of Lucy Dacus for a while. Albums like Home Video and Historian feature tracks I listen to daily. I'm particularly fond of boygenius and how Phoebe, Lucy, and Julien collaborate. Their album, the record, became one of my favorites in 2023.
Christine Buckley: I was aware of Lucy for some time, but it wasn’t until I got into boygenius that I really started to appreciate her music. She’s an exceptional poet – she has mentioned that music serves to convey her lyrics, rather than the other way around. I admire the dense lyrical structure of her songs and their raw emotions. “Afraid of Heights” from the boygenius EP “the rest” is one of my favorite tracks of 2024.
Mitch Mosk: Although I was familiar with Lucy Dacus before boygenius, it was the release of their first EP in 2018 that truly piqued my interest in her. Home Video was the first album of hers I intentionally listened to from start to finish. I suppose I’m a casual fan; I don’t always go out of my way to find her music, but I never skip a Lucy Dacus track once it starts playing – I allow it to play through.
Lucy Dacus © Shervin Lainez
What are your first impressions and thoughts about Forever Is a Feeling?
Bárbara: It’s a solid album with excellent production, although I feel like I've grown accustomed to the guitar sounds from boygenius, so I slightly missed that rock element in this new album. I was taken aback by the sweetness and romance in this album; I sense the familiar Lucy Dacus from her previous works is still present, but the themes have evolved.
Christine: Lucy has always excelled at slow builds, and she’s done it again in Forever Is a Feeling, particularly in tracks like “Lost Time.” However, like with all her albums, I needed several listens to grasp the references and metaphorical layers, and I’m unsure I’ll ever fully decipher them all. But that's a hallmark of a great album – discovering something new each time, like a gift that never stops giving.
Mitch: I won't hold back: I view it as a masterpiece, a triumph, a complete universe in itself. Dacus has crafted a world filled with meditations on love – what loving someone means, what it feels like to be loved, the ebbs and flows of love – all within a recognizable sonic framework that will forever be linked to this album. Each listen has gifted me new memories and treasured moments. Every one of the thirteen tracks feels like a part of a larger intimate puzzle, individually crafted and presented to us in digestible pieces. It contains both striking highs (“Ankles”) and painful lows (“Talk”), along with complex emotional nuances that reflect our daily lives. This record is gracefully raw in its vulnerability; Dacus gives voice to the quieter internal thoughts we all have – the questions we might not want to confront. She clearly invested deeply to create this music; how else could you express a line like, “This is bliss, this is Hell; forever is a feeling and I know it well”? You truly have to immerse yourself in your pain to bring it forth and make it the title of your album. So, I am not only grateful for its existence but particularly thankful to Lucy Dacus for her depth of exploration that inspires others, like myself, to introspect as well.
How does this album compare to 2021's Home Video? What are its most notable similarities or differences?
Bárbara: Both albums showcase Lucy Dacus’ hallmark talents: honesty, poetic lyrical expression, and autobiographical elements. This latest album feels more acoustic and introspective, focusing on themes of love and passion, while Home Video leans more towards indie rock with vibrant energy and rhythm. In this current album, Lucy presents a matured perspective, reflecting on love and experience, whereas Home Video captures her childhood or teenage years from a retrospective lens.
Mitch: I recall Home Video being impactful, with standout tracks like “Hot & Heavy” and
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Writers from Atwood Magazine explore Lucy Dacus' remarkably personal, brilliantly luminous, and lyrically profound fourth album ‘Forever Is a Feeling,’ delving into its intricate reflections on love, time, vulnerability, and the essence of genuinely embracing "the most of it."