Lucy Dacus’ last solo album Home Video is one of my favorite albums ever. Filled with pained nostalgia, these songs reflected on closeted queer youth, fractured familial relationships, and getting out while leaving others behind. But after reuniting with boygenius, going on a tour filled with joyous makeouts, and falling in love with one of her bandmates, Dacus is back with a very different picture of queerness.
Her first new single “Ankles” was a sexy and romantic bop with a Portrait of a Lady on Fire-inspired music video co-starring Havana Rose Liu. And now she’s here with another very gay music video even more likely to take over the gay internet.
We knew we were in for something good when Dacus announced on TikTok that she was looking for hot mascs. And the excitement only doubled when images were released yesterday of Dacus in a suit alongside other famous queers like Towa Bird, Naomi McPherson, and ER Fightmaster. Well now the video has been released and it does not disappoint!
The lyrics to the song — I love your body/I love your mind/They will change/So will mine/But you are my best guess/At the future — are a swoon-worthy message to Julien Baker. But in the context of the video with a wide-range of mascs hanging out, arm-wrestling, playing poker, playing pool, and, yes, kissing, it also becomes a broader message about loving someone through change. Is Lucy a femme with heart eyes for this room of mascs/her masc or is she also a masc? Queer discourse often wants people to fit neatly into label categories and I love that this is both a celebration of masc identity while also an acknowledgment of its fluidity.
When recently asked about her pronouns on Gaydar, Dacus said with a smile, “How dare you ask?” Part of being a queer person in love is understanding that you and your partner(s) are very likely to change. Pronouns, body parts, fashion, labels. To love someone fully is to love these changes. It’s true of all relationships — last time I checked straight cis people change too — but queer people, at our best, are more likely to embrace these changes.
These blurred identity lines are paired with blurred relationship lines. Dacus and Baker started as friends and bandmates before falling in romantic love and this video captures that as well. A bunch of bros hanging out doesn’t have to be romantic or sexy, but it sure can be!
Lucy Dacus’ album Forever Is a Feeling comes out on March 28.
Comments
Wait so Julien and Lucy ARE dating??
if they are, it seems like they want to keep it private. Not sure if we can (or should) describe these lyrics as a love song to Julien?? There’s a bunch of random people making posts on X and TikTok about them being in a relationship but nothing I can see from either of them.
They haven’t confirmed it at all, so it feels a little odd to me for publications like this to refer to them as a definite couple. It certainly looks like they might be, but without any confirmation I don’t think we can point blank say ‘this is a love song to Julien’. Also just feels a little disrespectful, as if they are dating I can only assume they haven’t explicitly said so for a reason. (I think sometimes there are couples in the public eye who haven’t confirmed it but it’s just SO clear they’re together that it doesn’t feel egregious to treat them as such. With Julien and Lucy it feels less clear to me just because we know they were already very close and tactile as friends.)
this is so important
It would be if there were fat people, dark skinned folks, or actual butches instead of a group of people who mostly look the same!
Disappointed this article ignores the video not passing the paper bag test amongst other issues. I expected AS would be on it and am very surprised to not see it mentioned
It is VERY noticeable and I don’t even know this lady. But I figure her fans are probably all lighter than a paperbag anyway. Also, I am just more than over begging white folks for inclusion so…enjoy. Everything ain’t for me.
Totally agree with this comment, and when I saw it was written by Drew I was a little disappointed as I’ve also found her writing being the kind that questions certain things and calls it out.
why was riese’s comment plus a response to it deleted
I was wondering the same thing. I’m getting a weird vibe from autostraddle in general lately and in particular this article. But I guess that is what’s been happening here lately, every time the commenters have actual feedback or criticism instead of just total praise the comments are ignored and/or deleted
What if u don’t love change in body parts u should love everything even if ur a stone
This is such a fever dream, swoon.
The call for hot mascs, followed by *this*, best birthday present ever !