Lucy Dacus writes the kind of songs that I immerse myself into slowly, one note at a time, or measure by measure, word by word. It’s easy to miss her complexity at first, wowed as you are by her voice and storytelling.
“Night Shift” is a slow-building breakup anthem that ends in a furious crescendo. At the beginning of the song, Dacus’s voice is soft and sweet and vulnerable. You want to hug her. By the end, she is pure anger and anguish (while also looking to an as-yet-unrealized future), and you kind of want to back away but not really, because you’re staring.
You’ve got a 9 to 5, so I’ll take the night shift
and I’ll never see you again if I can help it.
In five years I hope the songs feel like covers
dedicated to new lovers.
Belt it out in your car. Try not to cry, and fail. You don’t need to adjust the volume, trust me. Just feel the guitars pound and breathe.
By the way, I’m also digging Dacus’ collab record with Julien Baker and Pheobe Bridgers, titled boygenius.
Check out “Night Shift” here: