The only breakup song Lucy Dacus has ever written
As one-third of supergroup Boygenius and as a solo artist in her own right, Lucy Dacus has become a staple in the so-called “sad girl indie” sphere. Penning distinctive soundscapes marked by their nostalgic quality and sonic swells, the Virginia-born singer-songwriter has mastered the art of musical melancholy. Perhaps unexpectedly, though, Dacus has rarely extended her vulnerable lyrical musings to the topic of breakups.
From Julia Jacklin to Snail Mail, the emergent sad girl indie genre has often found its roots in tales of longing and loss. But while her peers take inspiration from romantic yearning, Dacus’ sonic storytelling has more often focused on nostalgia and broader themes of loss. In fact, she once declared that she had only written one breakup song – the opening track to her 2018 sophomore record, Historian.
Titled ‘Night Shift’, the track masterfully blends Dacus’ distinctive vocals, droning guitars, and devastating songwriting. “The first time I tasted somebody else’s spit, I had a coughing fit,” she sings in the song’s opening moments. It immediately sets the tone for the record’s themes of loss, though it’s the only entry into the album that Dacus believes to be a breakup song.
“This is the only breakup song I’ve ever written,” she stated in a conversation with NPR ahead of the album’s release. This was a conscious choice by Dacus, who used to believe that breakup songs were useless. “For a long time I didn’t believe expressing this sort of negativity was productive,” she explained, “but it’s less productive to resist the truth of a situation. It’s a hopeful song.”
Luckily for fans looking to overcome their own breakups with the help of Dacus’ sad strums and lyrical musings, Dacus overcame that feeling and delivered ‘Night Shift’. The song has since become one of the most beloved and iconic breakup songs within the genre, earning Dacus over 80 million streams. Perhaps due to its universal appeal, it remains her most streamed song of all time.
Since her brief venture into breakup songwriting, Dacus has delivered just one more solo studio album – Home Video in 2021 – which seemed to stay clear of the topic once more. It’s not that Dacus is unable to pen a breakup anthem – as we’ve seen with ‘Night Shift’ – but rather she seems uninterested in the topic. Dealing more with topics of friendship, religion and spirituality, Home Video was still an intimately personal and cinematic record, but it didn’t care to discuss the loss of romantic love.
Five years on from its release, it seems that ‘Night Shift’ might still be Dacus’ only solo breakup song. It remains a gorgeous entry into her catalogue, made all the more special by its singularity.
Revisit ‘Night Shift’, the only breakup song Lucy Dacus has ever written, below.
