Lucy Dacus has released two surprise non-album tracks, ‘Bus Back To Richmond’ and ‘More Than Friends’.
The songs arrive following her fourth studio album, ‘Forever Is A Feeling’, which landed in March and featured the singles ‘Best Guess’, ‘Ankles’ and the Hozier collaboration ‘Bullseye’. Both new tracks stem from the same recording sessions and will be available on limited edition 7” vinyl. ‘Bus Back To Richmond’ reflects on a New Year’s Eve gone wrong, while ‘More Than Friends’ recounts moments from a personal relationship, each built around acoustic arrangements.
Dacus has also updated the album art for ‘Forever Is A Feeling’ to a Will St. John painting photographed in medium format by Jon Henry. On Instagram, she described the change as “my original idea” and added, “I’m changing the album art to this because…I want to and I can!”
Currently on the road in North America for the ‘Forever Is A Feeling’ tour, the boygenius singer has been using her ordained status to officiate marriages for volunteer couples during shows. Earlier this month, she joined The Killers at Osheaga Festival in Montreal for a rendition of ‘Read My Mind’.
Recently, Dacus opened up about her growing friendship with Chappell Roan, revealing how their mutual support has helped her navigate challenging moments in her career.
In an interview with People Magazine, the Boygenius member shared that she and her bandmates initially connected with Roan after the latter spoke out about fan behaviour. “When [Chappell] was feeling spread really thin, all of us in Boygenius were encouraging her and telling her that it’ll die down, and it is just a really spinny trip when everybody has something to say about you,” Dacus said.
Dacus explained how Roan later reciprocated the support during a difficult period. “I had kind of a bad week a couple of weeks back, where putting out music just feels worse, and it made me wonder if I should just skip to the part of my life where I live off the land and have a job that isn’t my name,” she said. “And she was just like, ‘No, what you make is important and makes a lot of people feel less lonely.’”
The pair have found common ground in their experiences of public attention. “When people hate you, they don’t know you,” Dacus noted. “On the flip side, when they love you, they don’t know you either. So it’s like, protect yourself from the hate, but also don’t let the love of other people replace the real love in your life. They might understand you, but they really don’t know who you are as a person.”
Dacus also recently confirmed her relationship with boygenius bandmate Julien Baker in an interview with The New Yorker.
Speaking to journalist Amanda Petrusich, Dacus discussed how ‘Forever Is A Feeling’ largely centres around falling in love with Baker, with whom she now shares a home in Los Angeles.
“It’s been interesting, because I want to protect what is precious in my life, but also to be honest, and make art that’s true. I think maybe a part of it is just trusting that it’s not at risk,” Dacus said. After a pause, she adds: “Maybe a healthier way to think about it is that it’s not actually fragile. These songs are about different people. But, you know, ‘Most Wanted Man In West Tennessee’ — what are you gonna do?”
Discussing the private nature of their relationship, Dacus noted that while most fans have been respectful, “it only takes a handful to make your life feel like a really easily threatened thing.” She continues: “I’ve been practicing not reinforcing that narrative to myself.”
The pair reside near their boygenius bandmate Phoebe Bridgers, and frequent the Huntington botanical gardens in San Marino. “We have memberships because Phoebe gave them to us for my birthday,” Dacus explained.
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