After the whirlwind of Boygenius’ meteoric rise, Lucy Dacus steps back into the spotlight alone, but far from lonely. Her new solo album, Forever Is a Feeling, isn’t just a return to form—it’s a bold leap forward, a record that cements her as one of the most vital songwriters of her generation. Fresh off Boygenius’ Grammy-winning highs and their indefinite hiatus, Dacus doesn’t miss a beat, delivering a standout album of 2025 that’s already being hailed as a masterpiece of emotional honesty. Think of it as a cozy room on a rainy day: warm, inviting, and unafraid of its shadows.
Love, Vulnerability, and a Heart on Her Sleeve
Dacus has never been one to shy away from the raw edges of love, and Forever Is a Feeling doubles down on that fearlessness. “Why not wear your heart on your sleeve?” she muses in a recent Variety interview, and this album is her answer—a masterclass in vulnerability that balances sweetness with a tart edge. Take “Most Wanted Man,” where she paints a vivid picture of waking up “our legs all double-knotted” in a $700 Ritz room, only to bring it back to earth with a tender image of counting bug bites on her lover’s thighs. It’s classic Dacus: love isn’t just the grand gestures; it’s the messy, human moments that stick with you.
Then there’s “Limerence,” a twisted supper-club piano ballad where she confesses, “I’m thinking about breaking your heart someday soon.” In lesser hands, it could sound cruel, but Dacus infuses it with a tenderness that makes your chest ache. Or “Come Out,” where she threatens to scream obscenities and declarations of love so loud she might lose her voice—a romantic, dramatic flourish that feels both over-the-top and utterly grounded. These are songs that don’t just tug at the heartstrings—they cradle them, reminding us why Dacus remains indie music’s poet laureate of the everyday.
A Musical Evolution: From Indie Rock to Chamber-Pop Intimacy
Musically, Forever Is a Feeling trades the spiky indie rock anthems of Boygenius for something softer, more orchestral. Co-produced with Blake Mills, the album weaves strings, piano, and even a harp through Dacus’s lyrics like threads in a tapestry. It’s a chamber-pop vibe with an earthy core—those fingerpicked guitar roots that have always anchored her sound still shine through. Dacus calls it “understated, almost to a fault,” but that restraint is what makes the emotional peaks hit like a freight train. The production feels intimate, like you’re sitting across from her as she unspools her soul, yet it’s lush enough to fill a room.
This shift marks a clear evolution from her Boygenius days, where the trio’s sound leaned into raw, electric energy. Here, Dacus opts for a quieter power, letting her voice and words take center stage. It’s a move that pays off: the arrangements never overpower her storytelling, instead wrapping around it like a warm blanket. Think Joni Mitchell meets Sufjan Stevens, with a dash of Dacus’s signature wit and grit.
Boygenius Bonds and a Love Story with Julien Baker
You can’t talk about Forever Is a Feeling without mentioning Julien Baker, Dacus’s Boygenius bandmate and now-confirmed romantic partner. After years of fan speculation, Dacus opened up about their relationship, and the album is unapologetically steeped in their love. Tracks like “Modigliani” and “Ankles” offer glimpses into their world—luxurious Ritz nights mingle with mundane bug bites, a push-pull of glamour and grit. But Dacus walks a careful line, protecting what’s precious while staying true to her art. “I want to be honest,” she told The New Yorker, and she is—without ever letting the romance overshadow the music.
Even with Boygenius on hiatus, the trio’s bond—Dacus, Baker, and Phoebe Bridgers—remains unbreakable. “We’re still each other’s biggest cheerleaders,” Dacus says, and you can feel that camaraderie echoing through the album’s themes of enduring connection. It’s a testament to how deeply those friendships have shaped her, even as she carves out her own path. But make no mistake: this is Dacus’s show, and she’s a force all on her own.
Critical Acclaim and a 2025 Standout
The critics are already singing her praises. Slate calls Forever Is a Feeling “astonishingly honest—and all the more powerful for it,” a sentiment rippling across the music press. Variety positions it as one of 2025’s finest albums, a beacon of artistry in a sea of fleeting trends. And it’s easy to see why: Dacus’s lyrics are as sharp as ever, slicing through the noise with precision and grace. Whether she’s professing undying love or wryly poking at fame’s absurdities, she makes every word count.
A Songwriter for the Ages
With Forever Is a Feeling, Lucy Dacus isn’t resting on her Boygenius laurels—she’s dreaming bigger, pushing further, and inviting us along for the ride. “How lucky we are to have so much to lose,” she sings near the album’s close, a line that feels like a motto for her career so far. It’s a promise, too: that she’s nowhere near done breaking our hearts and piecing them back together. This is an album that doesn’t just capture a moment—it cradles the human experience, reminding us of the beauty in being unabashedly, unapologetically ourselves. In a year of noise, Dacus cuts through with something timeless. How lucky we are, indeed.
source variety
