Dacus initially announced “Forever Is A Feeling” on Instagram back in January, with the release of the first single, “Ankles,” soon after. Her 2021 album “Home Video” is, in my opinion, one of the best albums ever created — seriously, take a listen — so I can admit that my bar was rather high.
“Ankles” was good – definitely good. But it was no “Triple Dog Dare.”
The rest of the singles in this album cycle came out to my varying interest. “Limerence” didn’t do it for me at all, and “Best Guess” was pretty much just good, with nothing super exciting in the horrible or incredible department. My favorite was the most recent, “Talk,” which details the awkward in-between of discussing feelings for someone who no longer speaks to you. It was haunting and nerve-wracking, kind of like walking through a forest with nothing but a candle, how that phase of relationships can often feel.
So, yes, the singles were good – but they weren’t amazing. None of them wowed me. And, admittedly, I was expecting perfection.
On March 28 – the album release date – I was at a sleepover at my best friend’s house over spring break, and everyone was going to bed. I put on my headphones and anxiously awaited what was to come, hoping to finally be wowed.
Lucy Dacus, I can’t believe I ever doubted you.
About a week before the release, Dacus announced her widely-speculated relationship with fellow boygenius supergroup member, Julien Baker, and explained that her influence was all over the album. Well, she wasn’t kidding, and it’s not just through Baker’s backing vocals on a few of the tracks, but the total thematic switch-up for Dacus. Past albums have been all about heartbreak, betrayal and devastation – “Forever Is A Feeling” is about romance, and it is enthralling.
The big, important song for some fans of Dacus was “Bullseye,” the track features singer-songwriter Hozier, which is the perfect amalgamation of both artists’ music styles. I feel that, often, featured artists can be misplaced or forced in just for the sake of doing it, but Hozier’s addition elevates the song. Listening to “Bullseye” feels like taking a whimsical stroll through a field of tall grass.
My personal favorites – “Big Deal” and “Forever Is A Feeling” – are probably the most romantic songs I’ve ever heard in my entire life.
In “Forever Is A Feeling,” Dacus laments, “You knew the scenic route / I knew the shortcut, and shut my mouth / Isn’t that what love’s about?”
The production is my favorite here, too. The music swells and grows, the kind of thing you’d hear in a coming-of-age movie when the love interests finally get together, almost like Dacus’ victory lap.
And while “Big Deal” is the thematic opposite – telling the story of melancholic rejection rather than acceptance – it’s soft and lovesick, with a gentle yearning that could make the most cold-hearted person feel a little twinge. It’s the most grounded of any of the songs, and that’s what solidifies it as one of the best.
Dacus, for a long time, has been pigeonholed into a category with the other boygenius members that limited them to songs about being sad and songs about friendship. While there’s certainly no shortness of those on this album – “Modigliani” is about boygenius member Phoebe Bridgers, and “Lost Time” is devastatingly tender – Dacus takes the initiative to branch out.
Honestly, I’d have to applaud any step in a new direction – but this step is worth one of those thirteen-minute standing ovations you hear about at film festivals. “Home Video” is hard to rival for me, but the more I listen to “Forever Is A Feeling,” the more I go back on my initial word. Even the singles I didn’t especially care for have become staples on my playlists.
All of this success is because you can tell Dacus cares about the art she’s making. Baker and Bridgers lovingly feature on the songs written about them, and the production is cohesive, yet remains unique.
After all, “If the devil’s in the details / And God is everything / Who’s to say that they are not one in the same?” Dacus asks on “For Keeps.”
If the music doesn’t work for you, you can at least acknowledge the deep love and attention that Dacus has given it, and that’s enough.
To put it bluntly, if Dacus needs to take four years between albums in order to keep making masterpieces like “Forever Is A Feeling,” I will eagerly await her return in 2029.
Edited by Ainsley Bryson | abryson@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Caroline Sweet and Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com
Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com
