Lucy Dacus Confronts An Existential Crisis With Everyday Cool On ‘Next Of Kin’

Matador Records

We’re still early into 2018, but Lucy Dacus’ upcoming sophomore album, Historian, has already set itself apart as one of the most anticipated releases of this still young year. And it’s not just Dacus’ reputation that has caused this. Sure, she already has one great album under her belt in the form of her under-the-radar 2016 debut, No Burden. But it’s been the strength of her advance Historian single that have really been creating a buzz, and her latest, “Next Of Kin,” is no different.

It’s not light music. Even the song’s most memorable line, “I am at peace with my death / I can go back to bed,” rings with the right blend of everyday cool and existential awareness that supports the idea that Dacus is writing from a place of both wisdom and wonder. But maybe what makes her recent material so satisfying is how the production and sonics match her deft songwriting and lyricism. It’s rare that a total package emerges like Dacus so early in her career. On “Next Of Kin,” she’s already a musical force.

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Check out “Next Of Kin,” the follow-up to previous singles “Night Shift” and “Addictions,” above. Historian is due out on March 2nd via Matador Records.