If It's Too Loud...

I somehow missed Lucy Dacus's 2016 album No Burden , but from the very first time I heard her song "Night Shift" last December, I was completely hooked. From there I was left impatiently waiting for Historian to come out. Once it did, I became obsessed with it. It's an obsession that has stuck, as this is my favorite album of 2018. A song like "Night Shift" starts out quietly and delicately as Dacus slowly gains strength and power as it builds to a more confident and rebuilt climax. The kids these days get criticized a lot for being obsessed with their phones and being unable to live in the moment and unplug. When I saw Lucy Dacus at The Sinclair back in April, I barely saw a phone taken out (except by us old guys) and the younger members of the crowd were the most engaged. It was a devotion I haven't seen since going to see Tori Amos in the 90's. Lucy Dacus does this amazing blend of mainstream singer/songwriter and 90's alt rock that doesn...

To say we're highly anticipating the new album from Lucy Dacus would be a complete understatement. The latest song from the album, "Next of Kin," could very well turn Dacus into a superstar. It's that blend of 90's infected alternative pop that's huge right now, but still rooted enough in rock for us. "Next of Kin" is dangerously close to landing in top 40 territory, but a lot of the bands I loved in the 90's would most likely be considered mainstream now, like Letters to Cleo. "Next of Kin" does have louder and crunchier guitars than Cleo's version of 90's alt-rock, so it sounds more like a poppier version of The Lemonheads or Buffalo Tom. Plus, it's about anxiety, so that's always fun! You can listen to "Next of Kin" via Spotify below.  The new album from Lucy Dacus,  Historian , will be out March 2 on Matador Records. You can pre-order your copy on your preferred outlet here .  For more on Lucy Dacus, ch...

Photo by Pooneh Ghana "Addictions," the latest single from Lucy Dacus's upcoming new album, might not live up to the brilliance of the first single from Historian ... until it does. It would be almost impossible to match "Night Shift," which I declared to be the best song of 2018 back in December . "Addictions" starts off as your fairly standard alt-rock singer/songwriter fare, and it ends that way, too. It's the ride it brings you on in the middle that is what you'll end up loving. It morphs into multiple songs, with brief but beloved flourishes of fuzzy guitars, electronic elements, and some of the catchiest but oddly short verses that feel like choruses. Holding it all together is Dacus's voice, which may feel almost plain and standard at first, but is beyond mesmerizing by the end. You can watch the video for "Addictions" below. The new album from Lucy Dacus, Historian , will be out March 2 on Matador Records. You can pr...

Lucy Dacus' 2016 album, No Burden , was really good (although we somehow missed it, oops). Her latest single off her follow up might be the best song of 2018. "Night Shift" is amazing. It starts off as quiet, fragile singer/songwriter fare. For the first two minutes, it's a delicate and powerful song held together by Dacus' voice and a barely strummed guitar. If that was how the song played all the way through, it would be beloved here. But then some drums and other instruments come in, filling out the song into a more mainstream singer/songwriter track. Dacus' voice gains some strength for this part, and once again, she masters this slightly different genre of song. Then it quietly but abruptly goes minimal again, with just voice and guitar. This is just brief until a fuzzed out stomper of a song crashes in, taking over. Dacus fuses together 3 distinct songs into one masterful track. It's simply a must listen. You can listen to "Night Shift...