Events

[INDIE] Father John Misty will bring his brand of broody crooning to Canalside on Thursday night, July 26. But before the bearded indie-folk artist takes the stage, Lucy Dacus, the rising singer-songwriter from Richmond, Virginia, will introduce herself to the crowd at Canalside. Dacus debuted two years ago with her first album, No Burden. She signed with Matador Records after a flurry of offers from other labels, and her second album, 2018’s Historian, expanded on what No Burden offered, giving the young artist room to explore. Her often-personal lyrics combined with her voice that can go from a gentle breeze to a hurricane has established her as one of the freshest artists in the indie scene right now. This week we spoke to the Indie singer-songwriter about touring, writing new music and the World Cup.

So, to start with an off-topic question, you’ve tweeted saying you only watch sports once every four years because of the World Cup. What about the competition draws you in?
There’s a lot more identity wrapped up into the World Cup because you’re representing your country. I feel like all the players are really conscious of their childhood and why they started to play football. And all the drama, the high drama, it’s such a fast-paced game that’s never really boring. Even if it’s a low-scoring game, there’s so much beauty in the playing, everybody’s just so graceful. Whenever they do the slow-motion shots, it always looks like a Renaissance painting. I don’t know, I’m surprising myself with getting into sports so much.

You tend to write lyrics in a sort of straight out of a diary style. On “Night Shift”, for example, you say you were “resisting urges to punch you in the teeth.” Was there an actual person in your life at the time you had to hold yourself back from punching?
Yeah, that’s a specific person. [laughs] That’s the only break-up song I’ve ever written. It’s especially weird to play it in my hometown because I feel like everyone knows who it’s about. I try not to talk about them too much because I don’t really like to be defined by this person, but yeah. I would never really punch someone in the teeth, but… you know that urge. I’m not a violent person, but that thought did cross my mind.

You mentioned in a New York Times article that the big difference between recording No Burden and Historian was that there was no concept of it mattering on the first album. Has that same sort of attitude transferred to touring and playing live?
In a funny way, it’s like the opposite happened. Shows felt a lot scarier at the beginning; they mattered a lot because you had to immediately contend with people’s reactions, you see the people that are hearing it. When you’re recording and people listen to it, you don’t know who they are and you don’t have to be there to witness it happening. [laughs] The pressure is off in that way, they process it truthfully on their own. But you’re playing a show, people are processing right before your eyes. It’s hard to not wonder how you’re doing based on the facial expressions of people that are seeing you. But, it’s gotten easier. We’ve played over a hundred shows now and it’s gotten easier.

So, you’re opening for Father John Misty at Canalside; do you prefer opening or headlining?
I really like headlining, but not for the reason you’d probably think. I just don’t like playing for people that don’t necessarily want to be hearing me. Like, we’ve played gigs where I just feel like I’m taking up people’s time. And it’s not usually anything the people do, people are usually very gracious, but I don’t know, it’s comforting at a headlining show that it’s OK to do your show because it’s all that anybody came to see.

Do you see any sort of parallels between you and Father John Misty’s songwriting?
We handle it differently, but I get the sense from his music that he recognizes his position. His music is always asking for something from people and it’s not necessarily easy content. He proposes this whole kind of language and situations and questions, and I always value that in artists. They make something that’s enjoyable and emotionally captivating.

Once touring for Historian is done, do you plan on going right back into the next song or are you taking a break?
Oh, there’s no breaks ever. [laughs] I’m always demoing new material, and I’m already like two albums out, know what I want to do, just because it’s impossible to stop. It would sort of silent my natural tendencies to write and record, and I just have to kind of let it happen.