HISTORIAN

Description

In 2016, the songwriter from Richmond, Virginia, surprised many with a beautifully crafted debut album released on a small local label. The nine indie-rock tracks on *No Burden* indeed brought to mind Courtney Barnett, Sharon Van Etten, Jenny Lewis, and Angel Olsen. Word-of-mouth eventually reached the discerning ears of the Matador label, which wasted no time in signing her. Two years later, *Historian* is a true statement of intent across 10 tracks, revealing a Lucy Dacus ready to tackle big questions. It's a record of galvanizing realizations and heartbreaking declarations, punctuated by hard-won moments of respite. Dacus and her band recorded the album in Nashville with *No Burden* producer Collin Pastore and the highly-regarded John Congleton on mixing duties. The sounds they created are those of a full-bodied rock, outward-looking, dynamic, and touching. The thematic connections between the songs, which reveal themselves with repeated listening, touch upon all the subjects dear to her heart, from systemic racism to creative burnout, as well as death and addiction. It's a musical journey into difficult territories, ultimately delivering a message of hope in the face of life's adversities.