Indie singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus’ fourth studio album, “Forever is a Feeling,” explores Dacus’ realization of her feelings for her Boygenius bandmate Julien Baker. “Forever is a Feeling” is Dacus’ sweetest and most nostalgic album yet, but it lacks some of the fiery, raw emotion of her earlier work.
The album opens with “Calliope Prelude,” a lilting, orchestral track that alludes to Calliope, the Greek Muse of epic poetry. “Calliope Prelude” flows easily into “Big Deal,” a reflective and resigned account of the end of a relationship. With backing vocals in the chorus, slow transitions and repetition of the line “you’re a big deal,” this track captures the essence of Dacus’ songwriting and production style. “Ankles,” on the other hand, starts out with clear tension in the instrumentals and lyrics that are never fully resolved. It flips between monotone, harmonic verses and emotional, expressive choruses, but it never reaches a peak like past Dacus songs such as “Night Shift.”
The song “Limerence” builds on this tension and has a distinctly wobbly quality, with piercing string notes contrasted with the melodic flow of the piano. “Limerence” feels like flying away or walking up the stairs and then falling from the last step—it perfectly conveys the ups and downs of deep infatuation. Up next is “Modigliani,” which is rich with references to Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani’s art and to the friendship between Dacus and her other Boygenius bandmate, Phoebe Bridgers. Bridgers’ backing vocals elevate the track to a fun listen despite its themes of melancholy and waiting, but it’s still more like something that would be played in a coffee shop than a standout song.
“Talk” follows “Modigliani” with a deeper, more bittersweet yearning. It explores the concepts of love, home, and change as well as how the relationship in “Talk” thrived under stress and constraints and faded away once the danger was over. By the end of “Talk,” the instrumentals have become harsher, and the lyrics acknowledge the end of the relationship. If “Talk” is grieving a relationship once it’s over, then the next song, “For Keeps,” is grieving a relationship before it ends. But “For Keeps” falls short because it does not convey the emotional devastation in “Talk.”
Next, the titular track “Forever is a Feeling” is underwhelming given its role as the name of the album. It’s short and feels a little like a song that would be played in an imitation of a Disney movie, and any significance to the lyrics is quickly drowned out by the next three songs.
“Come Out,” “Best Guess,” and “Bullseye (with Hozier)” easily form the best part of the record. “Come Out” is close and self-referential, with allusions to Boygenius (the boardroom of a label trying to sign the band) and the earlier “Modigliani” (references to distance), and beyond those points, the track is honest, slow and gentle. “Come Out” features some of the best imagery of the album, with lines drawing similarities to parts of a city and the person that the song describes. Next, “Best Guess” moves beyond initial romance and acknowledges imperfections but promises that the singer’s “best guess” is that her love will last for the future. While “Best Guess” has poignant lyrics, its instrumentals and tune fall behind so that the true impact of gambling on a changing future is not felt. “Bullseye (with Hozier)” solves that recurring issue with simple yet energetic lines like “You’re a bullseye and I aimed right / I’m a straight shot / You’re a grand prize,” especially throughout the chorus. Dacus’ voice works beautifully with Hozier’s to end the ballad with an echoey, reflective acceptance of the end of a relationship.
The home stretch of the album is once again muted, with the two final tracks “Most Wanted Man” and “Lost Time” fizzling out quietly. “Most Wanted Man” begins with a surprisingly lively guitar arrangement reminiscent of Boygenius songs like “$20,” but Dacus’ slow, thoughtful vocal delivery limits the instrumentals’ potential. “Lost Time” contextualizes Dacus’ relationship with Baker as long-term with lines like “the sidewalk’s paved with petals like a wedding aisle,” but like the titular track, “Lost Time” is ultimately forgettable and similar to the rest of the album.
Overall, while “Forever is a Feeling” is full of intricate lyricism and the potential for raw, biting instrumentals, its execution does not fully express its emotional undercurrent. Most songs work well on their own and might be good material for a long car drive once in a while, but not much more. The record is sentimental and sweet, but it loses the complexity and sincere expression that was central to Dacus’ previous albums.