An emerging indie-rock singer-songwriter, Lucy Dacus, shares a devastating new single, “Thumbs.” The Richmond, Virginia native penned the song during a 15-minute drive to dinner in Nashville, about a moment she shared with a friend during her freshman year of college. She describes what happened as “significant,” but something she hadn’t thought about for a while.
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Dacus first performed the song more than two years ago while on tour with Boygenius—the group she formed in 2018 with Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker. With her bandmates’ encouragement, she shared a gut-wrenching memory on stage.
“Like most songs I write, I wasn’t expecting it, and it made me feel weird, almost sick,” she says. “I knew I wanted a long time to get used to playing it since it made me feel shaky, so I ended sets with it for about half the shows I played in 2019. Before I played it, I would ask the audience to please not record it, a request that seems to have been respected, which I’m grateful for.”
Since the initial performance, “Thumbs” has become a fan favorite, so much so it has its own Twitter account. In the spirit of anticipation and love for the song, Dacus surprised 100 random fans with a hand-assembled VHS tape with a recording of “Thumbs.”
Beyond her mystifying melodic approach, Dacus’s fervent loyalty to her friend and empathy amidst tension is just as magnetic. The young artist bares sage wisdom beyond her 25 years, serving as a steadfast pillar during a moment of debilitating vulnerability.
The single is her first of the year. After releasing a series of singles throughout 2019, her EP, 2019, was released on November 8 of that year. 2020 was quiet for the artist, who shared one collaboration with Hamilton Leithauser, “Isabella.” Between her 2016 full-length debut, No Burden, and 2018’s Historian, Dacus stripped back the rock-edged percussion-driven production and began honing her heartfelt songwriting and lyrical delivery. Dacus grows more sure-footed with each release, chronicling a coming-of-age narrative with evolving perspectives and musical approaches.
Listen to Lucy Dacus’s highly anticipated single, “Thumbs” here.
