Album Review: "Home Video" by Lucy Dacus (10/10)

Label: Matador Records

Produced by: Lucy Dacus, Colin Pastore, Jacob Blizard, and Jake Finch

 

Lucy Dacus hurt my feelings with her new album Home Video, yet I can only thank her for it. Packed with nostalgia and woven with wit, Dacus is a cohesive storyteller in her songs about firsts, endings, and the messy bits in between. The album is delightfully, unmistakably queer with songs like “Christine” and “VBS” rehashing some religious trauma to guitar riffs and sweet, haunting vocals. Danceable singles “Brando” and “Hot & Heavy” are met with “First Time,” another driving and upbeat instant-classic; and ugly-cry-inducing single “Thumbs” (a favorite from live shows that was released years after its first moment on stage) was matched by “Please Stay” and “Cartwheel,” more deeply weepy wonders that remind us that Lucy Dacus is a powerhouse of a poet.