A Lucy Dacus love album is finally here! On March 28, Lucy dropped her fourth solo album, Forever Is A Feeling. A few weeks earlier, Lucy publicly confirmed that her and fellow boygenius member Julien Baker were dating, saying “From us to you, we are in love.” But honestly, we knew when they dressed up as Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande for Halloween 2023. While the whole album doesn’t focus on their relationship—more so the nuances of love—it also has some very sweet references to Julien that I love!
The album begins with an orchestral track titled “Calliope Prelude,” and it perfectly sets the scene for the rest of the songs. Because of the album’s many museum motifs, the prelude’s sweeping violins remind me of meandering around a Renaissance art gallery.
The first lyrics on the album come from “Big Deal.” In this song, the narrator’s feelings are reciprocated, but both people know nothing more can come of it. “Big Deal” feels quiet and intimate, and I enjoy how it introduces the album’s themes well: struggling to reconcile the platonic and romantic, the private and public.
The next song, “Ankles,” was the first single, so I’ve loved it since January. The chorus of this is catchy, and although it’s not my top song after hearing the others, it got me super excited for the album. In it, Dacus yearns for a platonic relationship to become more, past a physical connection to an intimate and emotional one.
This theme is only deepened by the next track, “Limerence.” If you’re like me and have no idea what that means, limerence is the feeling of having an intense romantic obsession with someone and wanting the desire to be reciprocated. This track had to grow on me, but now that I understand it more, it feels so quintessential Lucy. A squeaky violin glides behind lyrics that blow up a single moment’s details. I am crushed by the final line: “Is there a difference between lying to you if it feels just as bad as telling the truth?”
In “Modigliani,” we take a break from romance to talk about the other member of boygenius, Phoebe Bridgers. “You make me homesick for places I’ve never been before / How’d you do that? / How’s tomorrow so far?” Lucy asks her, missing her friend while Phoebe travels overseas to play shows. This song isn’t a huge standout on the album for me, but I love how sweet and simple it is.
We’re now at possibly my favorite song on the album, “Talk.” I cannot get enough of the haunting whistle at the beginning or the intense guitar at the chorus. This song details a long-term relationship that has fallen into an unfulfilling routine. Should it end? Has it already? I am obsessed with Lucy’s final line: “I didn’t mean to start talking in the past tense. I guess I don’t know what I think ‘til I start talking.”
In the next track, “For Keeps,” we’re greeted with a short but beautiful story. Even though the narrator acknowledges her relationship may not last (“I know we’re not playing for keeps”), she still expresses deep love for the person. I come back to this song just to hear Lucy say, “If the Devil’s in the details, then God is in the gap in your teeth.” So beautiful.
The next song is the title track, and I think it’s a cohesive representation of the album’s themes. Directly contrasting the last song, Lucy declares that “forever is a feeling and I know it so well.” I really like the back-and-forth piano line on “Forever Is A Feeling,” and I would rank it about middle on the whole album.
“Come Out”, however, is one of my top songs. Here, Lucy’s storytelling really shines in every verse. She has this great ability to take all my thoughts but write them down better and more succinctly than I could ever. Case in point: “Waking up in a new city every day makes me believe more and more that they’re all the same. It’s just a pharmacy, coffee shop, bookstore, and bank, and a tourist attraction that most locals hate.” While this song sounds like it’s about Julien, people believe it’s actually about an earlier relationship Lucy had with a woman who wasn’t out, hence the double meaning of the title.
Nothing can describe my love for the next song, “Best Guess.” While it technically wasn’t the first single, Lucy played the song during a surprise performance at one of Julien’s shows in October, so I’ve already memorized every word. “Best Guess” came at the perfect time in my life, and every line is just so sweet. There’s also a music video accompanying this one!
Ever since the tracklist came out, I was also very excited to see Lucy collaborate with Hozier on “Bullseye,” and it did not disappoint! Their voices go surprisingly well together and the writing seems natural for each artist’s style. One of my favorite lines says “Found some of your stuff at my new house / Packed it on accident when I was moving out / Probably wrong to think of them as your gifts to me / More like victims of my sentimentality.” With a catchy chorus, “Bullseye” quickly became stuck in my head.
We are now at my favorite song on the entire album, “Most Wanted Man.” In contrast to the softer piano and guitar of the other songs, “Most Wanted Man” has a strong country guitar riff and drums. And Julien makes an appearance, singing an entire line! This song has the most direct references to Julien in general, and it makes me so happy to see them open up in this way. I keep replaying it over and over to hear its bouncy melody.
To close out the album, we have “Lost Time.” It starts with quiet guitar strumming and birds chirping in the background, but builds up to a stronger sound. I really love the entire premise of “trying to make up for lost time.” Lucy says sweetly, “But I love you, and every day that I knew and didn’t say is lost time.” I think it’s a beautiful wrap to the album, and flows very well back into the prelude at the beginning.
Overall, I really enjoyed Forever Is A Feeling, and I keep finding new ways to love each song every listen. While I still think my favorite project of hers is Historian from 2018, Forever Is A Feeling is a great cohesive work for Lucy’s discography. I am moving out of my dorm the same day classes end just to go to the Forever Is A Feeling tour—and I wouldn’t have it any other way!