Richmond indie songwriter Lucy Dacus has been riding high on the wave of her success since releasing her debut album, No Burden via Egghunt Records in February 2016. From major accolades from Rolling Stone, Time Magazine, and USA Today, to signing to Matador Records, recording a Tiny Desk Concert session on NPR, to performing at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, and Delaware’s upcoming Firefly Music Festival, the “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore” singer’s career doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Dacus recently released a new video for “Addictions,” the second single off her forthcoming new album, Historians, due out March 2 via New York-based Matador Records.
Her debut single, “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore” may have kicked her musical career into high gear, but this new single off the upcoming album already shows miles of difference and growth. While “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore” may have been an indie rock hit worthy of Jenny Owen Youngs or Sleater-Kinney, “Addictions” reads very reminiscent of Of Montreal.
“Addictions” allows Dacus to use her film school knowledge to direct the video, and take the audience on a trip through the past. As the narrator fluctuates between the world of color and the world of black and white, the audience follows her on a journey of ultimately deciding to stay with her past and succumbing to those addictions.
The song itself is about “reaching into the past and returning to toxic relationships” according to a post Dacus put up on her Facebook page about “Addictions”. While the video itself may come across a little confusing initially, the song, with its catchy lyrics and booming horns courtesy of Richmond’s own No BS! Brass Band, hold it all together as Dacus chants the crescendos of “You’ve got addictions too, it’s true” into the fields.
The video was filmed and edited by David Muessig and there are quite a few beloved Richmond spots too in there, so see if you can spot them!
If the rest of Historian is anything like “Addictions”, then Dacus’ fans will surely be in for a treat. Dacus is touring a bit in March and April, but it doesn’t look like there are any Richmond shows on the books right now. You can, however, catch her in Charlottesville at The Southern on March 7.
And be sure to keep an eye on RVA Mag for an upcoming interview with Dacus on her new album.
