“Best Guess” and “Limerence” find Lucy Dacus exploring life and love through a more mature, complex, and messy lens compared to her previous projects, establishing her upcoming album, ‘Forever Is a Feeling,’ as an exciting shift in a new artistic direction.
follow our Today’s Song(s) playlist
Stream: “Best Guess” – Lucy Dacus
Lucy Dacus continues to tease her third studio album, Forever Is a Feeling, with the refreshingly honest tracks “Best Guess” and “Limerence.”
While the singer/songwriter’s last record (2021’s Home Video) was coated in themes surrounding youthful love, nostalgia, and coming of age, “Limerence” and “Best Guess” feel more mature in their lyricism, particularly thanks to Dacus’ storytelling ability. She has a distinct talent of chronicling aspects of the human experience that people know all too well but shy away from confronting. With the list of singles released thus far, Forever Is A Feeling is shaping up to be a diverse, transitory project for Dacus off the heels of the incredibly successful and acclaimed records from her participation in boygenius, with “Best Guess” and “Limerence” only enhancing the anticipation for her third record.
“Best Guess” sees Dacus reflecting upon a partner who she had assumed was her most viable bet at living a fulfilling romantic life. With production that’s simple yet catchy, such as richly layered guitars and crisp and natural drumming, Dacus allows the lyrics of the track to shine. The simplicity in the production mirrors the notion that Dacus has succumbed to this person being her ‘best guess’ at the future she’s dreamed of.
You were my best friend before you were
My best guess at the future
You are my best guess
If I were a gambling man, and I am
You’d be my best bet
On the bridge of “Best Guess,” Dacus fleshes out the lore of this relationship, only giving listeners just enough of a glimpse into her interpersonal relationships while still allowing for lyrical ambiguity to be relatable. It’s a difficult thing to balance between deeply personal tracks compared to ones that are so general they feel that they feel ingenuine, but Dacus finds the perfect mix, revealing just enough detail for fans to understand both her and themselves on a deeper level.
I watched you fall from grace
You were graceful
After all, it’s a small world
You may not be an angel
But you are my girl
You are my pack a day
You are my favorite place
You were my best friend before you were
My best guess at the future
You are my best guess
If I were a gambling man, and I am
You’d be my best bet
With the deepening of the backstory by revealing this crush was born from friendship to the comparisons of intoxicatingly satisfying habits like “you are my pack a day,” Dacus continues to present her lyrical wit and talent – something that is taken to a whole new level on “Limerence.”
Dacus moves directly into a moment of contemplation with “Limerence,” a piece that explores her seemingly innate urge to escape stability, relish in recklessness, and break free from the “stillness” from romantic love.
The track begins with soft piano chords and gentle strings, Dacus recalling a high-hangout with friends and the discussion of limerence (defined as a “state of deep infatuation or romantic desire for someone”): “Natalie’s explaining limerence between taking hits from a blunt, high as a kite.” After setting the scene with the opening lyrics, the production slows and quiets down, similarly to how it feels when our minds pull us away from the present moment among friends. The honesty and the lyricism reflects the deeply personal thoughts that bounce around in our heads, rarely to ever actually be mentioned.
I’m thinking about breaking your heart someday soon
And if I do, I’ll be breaking mine too
If I stay busy, maybe I’ll forget
how I feel and go on living life as I planned it
So bring on the parties, I wanna go dancing
My arm ’round the waist of a friendly acquaintance
Toeing the line of betraying your trust
Why do I feel alive when I’m behaving my worst?
A partnered Dacus seems to be one that also lives alongside the parts of herself that crave flirtatious interactions and the freedom and unpredictability of single life. Or rather, there’s a part of her that feels thrilled when she’s making choices that are undoubtedly not in her best interest. The ending lines of the track not only showcase Dacus’ self-awareness, but also the complexity of having someone’s heart in hands that feel far too erratic to hold it properly.
Is there a difference between lying to you
If it feels just as bad as telling the truth?
I know that there is, and I know
What I’ll pick
I want we have
Our beautiful life
But the stillness, the stillness
Might eat me alive
Dacus feels the need to escape this seemingly “beautiful life” to live in something that feels more authentic to her. In Dacus’ own words, “You have to destroy things in order to create things. And I did destroy a really beautiful life.”
Both “Best Guess” and “Limerence” feel representative of what Dacus aims to achieve with this project: A lyrical narrative that examines love’s ever changing complexities that come with age.
Forever Is a Feeling only seems to build upon what has already made Dacus a memorable and impactful musician, her warm vocals and personal lyricism shining brightly on these tracks.
On the record as a whole, Dacus says, “You can’t actually capture forever, but I think we feel forever in moments. I don’t know how much time I’ve spent in forever, but I know I’ve visited.”
Lucy Dacus is undoubtedly taking us on a trip to forever with this album.
Forever Is a Feeling is set to release March 28th via Geffen Records.
— —
:: stream/purchase Best Guess here ::
:: pre-order Forever Is a Feeling here ::
:: connect with Lucy Dacus here ::
— —
Stream: “Best Guess” – Lucy Dacus
— — — —
Connect to Lucy Dacus on
Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
© Shervin Lainez
© Shervin Lainez
:: Today’s Song(s) ::
follow our daily playlist on Spotify
:: Stream Lucy Dacus ::
