With her third album Home Video coming out later this month, Lucy Dacus is giving us one final teaser to follow up “Thumbs”, “Hot & Heavy” and “VBS”. This one’s called “Brando”, and she introduces it by saying:
“‘Brando’ refers to a very dramatic friend I had in high school whose whole personality was the media he consumed. He showed me a lot of amazing movies and music, but I think he was more interested in using me as a scrapbook of his own tastes than actually getting to know me. He claimed to know me better than anyone else but I started to feel like all he wanted from me was to be a scene partner in the movie of his life.”
“You told me to skip school,” Dacus begins, while muffled drum machines set a pacey march like a quickening heartbeat as she and her friend escape the classroom. From there we’re sucked into Dacus’ vivid reminiscences, which encompass re-enacting scenes from A Streetcar Named Desire, quoting classic movies, and dancing around each other’s feelings and intentions: “you admit you think we’re fated / I’ll be lucky if I’m your third wife.” As her memories and emotions come in an unending torrent, Dacus’ voice remains steady and her words as on-point as ever. The arrangement is not flashy but is packed with plenty of minute sonic details that accentuate the pulse-quickening effect of these reminiscences.
Watch the lyric video for “Brando” below or listen to it on streaming platforms.
Lucy Dacus’ new album Home Video arrives on June 25 through Matador (pre-order/save). Make sure you follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
