★★★★★
Lucy Dacus continues to be emotionally vulnerable and honest about love in Forever Is A Feeling, released on March 28. Since confirming her relationship with friend and fellow Boygenius member, Julien Baker, fans anticipated this album as a deeper exploration of their relationship.
Boygenius, composed of Dacus, Baker, and Phoebe Bridgers, released their album, the record, in 2023, but went on a hiatus to focus on their individual music careers. Their friendship is what makes the band so special, and the connection between the three of them is shown throughout their music.
Dacus focuses on this kind of intimacy on her album. She describes the importance of friendship and how it can even blossom into a sort of romantic love, while exploring how she came to terms with her own feelings.
Dacus focuses on the themes of honesty and shared understanding. The beginning of the album has a downcast air to it, as she focuses on past relationships and unrequited love. In the album’s second half, however, she reflects on finally getting it right.
The album opens with the instrumental number “Calliope’s Prelude” followed by “Big Deal.” The latter describes the plight of having feelings for someone but knowing the relationship could never work. Her voice is soothing and expresses her sadness and longing.
The lead single, “Ankles,” is an incredibly intimate song. It touches on the idea of forbidden love and the shame that comes with selfish fantasies. “And take me like you do in your dreams” shows Dacus’ yearning for a kind of love that may only exist in her mind, and her desire for someone she cannot have.
“Limerence” opens with a piano melody—a softer sound—and it touches on the moral dilemmas in relationships.
“I’m thinking about breaking your heart someday soon / And if I do, I’ll be breaking mine too,” Dacus sings.
Dacus wrote the fifth track titled “Modigliani” about missing Bridgers while she was on tour in Singapore, describing their friendship’s depth and intimacy.
“You will never be / Famous to me,” Dacus sings.
The line shows how Dacus sees her friend as a regular person, even though she is constantly in the public eye. Dacus does not care about her friend’s “celebrity status.” She is simply grateful for their genuine friendship.
This track is followed by another emotional song titled “For Keeps.” Dacus reflects on a relationship that she knew was not going to last, and discovers how to accept this harsh reality.
“’Cause I know we’re not / Playing for keeps,” sings Dacus.
The next few tracks, “Forever Is A Feeling,” “Come Out,” and “Best Guess,” mark a turning point for the album. Dacus explores her feelings for Baker and the development of their love, while offering a sense of hope about the future.
She has a feeling that this is the kind of love that lasts.
“Best Guess” acknowledges that uncertainty is inevitable, but you don’t need to be completely sure about something for it to work out. Her relationship feels right, and she doesn’t feel as though she needs to be completely sure about it. Dacus is honest and open with her emotions, stating that there will always be imperfections in life, so it’s important to choose what feels good.
The 11th track, “Bullseye (with Hozier),” harmoniously combines Dacus’ and Hozier’s vocals. Dacus explains how she chose the right person to fall for.
“You’re a bullseye, and I aimed right,” Dacus sings.
The final track on the album, “Lost Time,” expresses how, while it may be challenging to come to terms with your feelings, doing so can be an overwhelming relief.
“But I love you, and every day / That I knew and didn’t say is lost time,” Dacus sings.
Through Dacus’ vulnerable lyricism, her relationship with Baker develops into a romance—a lovely narrative to listen to unfold. It seems Dacus has found the kind of love she had yearned for in the past, making the album feel like the result of a deep, personal fulfillment.
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