If there is anything that can remedy the doom and gloom, uncertainty and confusion of a year such as this current one, it is the bittersweet nostalgia of Lucy Dacus and her fourth LP Home Video.
If you are out of the loop and have missed the first two solo records from the Virginia native, well firstly, where have you been? The debut No Burden and sophomore Historian are packed with beautiful, honest songwriting cooked with the weary, heartbreak of a tragic country star. Then once you’ve done that and have experienced that whirlwind of romance, heartbreak and pain, you should listen to the boygenius EP. The trifecta of Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker is some of the most tender, emotionally raw and honest works this side of the century. Then you will probably need to lie down in a dark room and cry yourself to sleep before taking on Home Video.
Blindsiding me with the release of “Hot & Heavy” in April this year, from this moment I grew more and more eager to hear the rest of the album. This track is a perfect, delicate mix of the hued tones of the past that Dacus set out to capture on this effort. A steady rock beat drives the dreamy guitar and piano lines as they ascend into a heady mix of awkward yet comforting romantic encounters. As the opener for the album it sets the tone perfectly, not only sonically, but in laying the groundwork for the raw and confessional lyrics. Dacus uses a new perspective on her own life, taking inspiration after a visit home to Richmond, Virginia where she looked over her old diaries she kept as a child. Looking back at points in her life with an adult perspective, creating a mix of comforting nostalgia and bittersweet aches.
Stating in an interview with Louder, Dacus admits that some of the things said here are things that she’s “barely even said to herself”, is enough testament to her songwriting skills. The fact is that everything Dacus sings on this record, in particular “Thumbs”, is done with sincerity and passion and you can believe every word she says. When I first heard “Thumbs” it stopped me in my tracks. As Dacus speaks of an estranged parent of her partner, stating: “I would kill him, if you let me. I would kill him, quick and easy.” I believed her. I believe she felt that way, that feverish rush of suppressed rage in a public place as this bitter old man toys with the son he never wanted. The minimal instrumentation draws even more focus onto her powerhouse performance, reminiscent of the sensational, landmark Nebraska LP from Bruce Spingsteen.
Similarly on “VBS”, which stands for Vacation Bible School and is the primary setting and drive for this track, is equally honest. A reserved first half of the song which discusses the fading relationship with religion and Christianity over layers of guitars and pianos. The explosion of caustic distortion and the delivery of, in my humble opinion, one of the best lines about Slayer featured in a pop-rock song:
“There’s nothing you can do but the only thing you found, Playing Slayer at full volume helps to drown me out.”
The emotional battery of “Cartwheel” is enough to reduce you to a weeping mess under the duvet. Equally romantic and nihilistic this lulling ballad pulses with the ache of a broken heart. The guitar notes that decorate the track hang over the chord like tears about to hit the page of a worn book left by the one that got away. But don’t worry, “Going Going Gone” is here to tend to the wounds with an earnest acoustic ballad documenting the evolution of mankind by looking at dynamics between daughters and fathers, boys and girls and man and woman. Sounding like the final curtain is closing on a story, the track features background vocals from fellow geniuses Bridgers and Baker as well as Mitski (I repeat, MITSKI), the end of the track is the heartwarming flurry of laughter from all. A nice wee snapshot of the beauty and laughter that went into the making of this track.
A generally enjoyable listen with most tracks laying bare the raw truths and drunk nostalgia of the artist, with the hilariously scathing “Brando” bitter reminding all of us of bad dates and bad impressions. I would not like to be the “Brando” in question listening to this. Yikes. However the one problem I have with this album is the track “Partner in Crime”, which inexplicably has autotune over Dacus’s vocals. A decision that shows experimentation and the willingness to push her sonic palette forward instead of stagnating it, yet one that feels so unnecessary. I can’t quite see the point of including this when she is one of the best vocalists around today.
Overall, I can safely say that this album will stand as one of Dacus’s most adventurous and honest works for the rest of her career. I’m sure this will soundtrack many a breakup for people, providing an equally comforting and bitter remedy for the aches of growing up, breaking up and falling in love all over again.
7.5/10