Lucy Dacus on the debut album “nobody was” ready for
Fans of contemporary indie folk rock should be no strangers to Lucy Dacus, who rose to prominence in the mid-2010s with her debut album, No Burden. However, with her second release, Historian, Dacus gained further recognition and achieved indie success with ‘Night Shift’.
Often blending life’s hardships with a sense of optimism, Dacus described her sophomore album as “living through loss and the inevitable darkness of life, and doing so hopefully and joyfully.” Thus, the singer has naturally attracted a legion of fans, coming to Dacus for equal doses of joy and sadness.
Alongside her fellow folk-inspired indie rockers Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker, Dacus formed Boygenius in 2018, releasing their debut album, The Record, in 2023. Dacus explained to Under the Radar, “I hope people see the three of us and know there isn’t competition. You don’t have to compete with your contemporaries. You can make something good with people you admire.”
Although Dacus’ sound is distinctively inspired by folk and indie rock artists, she has an eclectic range of favourite artists and influences, selecting a wide array of genres in her ‘What’s In My Bag?’ video for Amoeba.
Alongside albums such as Dummy by Portishead and In An Expression Of The Inexpressible by Blonde Redhead, one of her essential picks was Debut by Björk. The Icelandic singer released the record in 1993 following her departure from the band The Sugarcubes. The album proved to be a turning point in popular music, and its influence still echoes through the work of everyone from Radiohead to Charli XCX.
Talking to TIME, Björk explained how the British club scene shaped her approach to making music. “As a music nerd, I just had to follow my heart, and my heart was those beats that were happening in England. And maybe what I’m understanding more and more as I get older, is that music like Kate Bush has really influenced me. Brian Eno. Acid. Electronic beats. Labels like Warp.”
Debut is a rich blend of genres, from ambient to trip-hop, jazz, rock, pop, dance and punk. Refusing to be boxed into any one genre, Björk explored several at once, allowing her idiosyncratic vocals to run wild over icy rhythms, floor-filling beats and reimagined jazz standards.
For Dacus, the tracklist is so strong that she struggles to believe Debut is not a ‘best of’ compilation. Calling Björk “the queen,” she asked, “how can a debut record be this good?” Addressing the cover art, Dacus joked, “You can tell, she’s like, ‘Y’all aren’t ready’, and nobody was.”
Watch the full video below.
