Today’s Song: Lucy Dacus’ “Ankles” Is a Lush Landscape of Yearning

Lucy Dacus © Shervin Lainez
Lucy Dacus © Shervin Lainez
Singer/songwriter Lucy Dacus expresses hopeless hope for an intimate love that reaches beyond the bounds of desire in “Ankles,” the dreamy lead single off her upcoming fourth album, ‘Forever Is a Feeling.’
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Stream: “Ankles” – Lucy Dacus




Desire is easy.

It’s easy to feel, easy to express, and easy to want. Love, on the other hand, is fickle. It begs for attention and active action- both of which are difficult to execute precisely with the true intention necessary behind them to make it mean something. It takes a high level of vulnerability for a person to achieve love to its fullest, and being vulnerable is scary. That said, it’s easy to desire love and crave intimacy and want to be vulnerable with a loved one, but the fear that resides in chasing after love due to all that it demands can swiftly put up a barrier between want and action, and that is exactly what singer/songwriter Lucy Dacus sings about in “Ankles.”

Ahead of the release of her fourth solo studio album, Forever Is a Feeling (out March 28th via Geffen Records), Lucy Dacus has released “Ankles,” a particularly beautiful song that expresses a carnal craving for intimacy beyond that which can be satisfied by the fantastical daydreams conjured by desire.

Forever Is a Feeling - Lucy Dacus
Forever Is a Feeling – Lucy Dacus

The track glimmers instrumentally in an almost cinematic way- the build-up of the particularly artful orchestration pairs directly with the cadence and development of the lyrics. With the inclusion of violin and cello in the composition alongside drums, bass, and both acoustic and electric guitar, the song is granted a unique sort of space to grow and wander.

It also allows Dacus’ subtly impactful vocals the chance to stand out and fill the air. Her voice holds a mellow quality due to the smooth timbre it holds which could easily be overwhelmed by overproduction and too strong of instrumentation. However, in “Ankles” her vocal tone is neither highlighted too much nor made to suffer from a lack of amplification. Instead, the atmosphere gives her the space she needs for her voice to fully embody and convey the sense of longing that the lyrics communicate so well.

Lyrically, the song is exceptionally strikingly narrative in that it doesn’t hold back from telling a story with just enough details to ensure its relatability. Each line is intentional and explicitly states Dacus’ ideal image of romance. From the start, though, she lays out the stakes of her wanting and caveats the entire song with the implication that she cannot have what she will spend the entirety of the song saying she wants. It’s a song that muses about what could lie beyond the bounds of desire but is ultimately confined by the fear of properly seeking out that which would satisfy her desires.

What if we don’t touch?
What if we only talk
About what we want
and cannot have?
And I’ll throw a fit
If it’s all I can do
If it’s the thought that counts
Let’s think it through
Lucy Dacus © Shervin Lainez
Lucy Dacus © Shervin Lainez



Despite the former though, Dacus reveals her most dear desires and pines openly for simple intimacy with another person, through lyrics that paint beautifully familiar and comforting scenes of domesticity that one cannot be faulted for yearning for.

I want you to show me what you mean
Then help me with the
crossword in the mornings

You are gonna make mе tea
Gonna ask me how did I sleep

The song is fundamentally a battle between desire and love. There seems to be a built-in conflict within the actual construction of the song that pits the two against each other. The verses stand in favor of fighting against love, while the chorus supports love. There is a constant back-and-forth exhibited that, for instance, can be seen when the second verse states, “How lucky are we to have so much to lose?” which serves to prove the fear of vulnerability that holds Dacus back from pursuing her fond images of love that she describes in the chorus that directly follows.

Lucy Dacus Presents a Double Feature of Adolescence & Acceptance with ‘Home Video’

:: REVIEW ::



In its entirety, “Ankles” is an ode to the hopelessly hopeful, and a genius one at that upon meticulous inspection of every element that could be examined even more.

But at its roots, the track is a beautiful testament to internal conflict over one of music’s favorite subjects, love. There are countless songs about love and even ones devoted to the concept of desire, but there is something distinctly honest about “Ankles” that takes it up a notch.

Regardless of whatever it is that sets it apart, “Ankles” is a sure indication that Lucy Dacus is one of the most authentic and conscious songwriters and musicians crafting in the industry today. It also is a sure sign that Forever is a Feeling, to be released March 28th, will be another exceptional album by the singer-songwriter.

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:: stream/purchase Ankles here ::
:: pre-order Forever Is a Feeling here ::
:: connect with Lucy Dacus here ::

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Stream: “Ankles” – Lucy Dacus



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Forever Is a Feeling - Lucy Dacus

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? © Shervin Lainez


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