A little over a month ago, Lucy Dacus shared “Thumbs,” a crowd favorite among live audiences that never got an official recorded release. It’s a gutting, slow-burner that had us wondering if its release was tied to any bigger projects from the acclaimed musician. Turns out, she was ramping up to share news of her third album, the follow-up to 2018’s Historian, called Home Video. It will be streaming in households everywhere June 25.
The announcement comes with a new single titled “Hot & Heavy,” a track that hinges on an exciting revelation framed with the faintest nostalgia. From the beginning, “Hot & Heavy” is a bit of a tease—sparse at the beginning, it kickstarts into gleeful drums, while Dacus’ delivery rapidly turns swift. “You used to be so sweet / Now you’re a firecracker on a crowded street,” she sings, ostensibly about another. Nope! “Hot & Heavy” is a thrilling self-reflection, relinquishing past selves and growing into new skins like sparks peeling off from an old flame, setting ablaze elsewhere.
In a statement, Dacus said, “I thought I was writing ‘Hot & Heavy’ about an old friend, but I realized along the way that it was just about me outgrowing past versions of myself. So much of life is submitting to change and saying goodbye even if you don’t want to. Now whenever I go to places that used to be significant to me, it feels like trespassing the past. I know that the teen version of me wouldn’t approve of me now, and that’s embarrassing and a little bit heartbreaking, even if I know intellectually that I like my life and who I am.”
The track’s video, directed by Dacus and Marin Leong, is equally brilliant. It depicts the Richmond, VA singer-songwriter at the historic Byrd Theatre eating popcorn with blue flowers and mysteriously watching, well, old home videos. “I knew I wanted to include some of the home video footage that my dad took of me while I was growing up. I wanted to visualize the moment when you first reflect on your childhood, which I think can also be the moment that childhood is over,” she said.
And if all of this wasn’t already a mouthful, Dacus is (fingers crossed!) going on tour. And her show mates are pretty fucking rad: they include Jay Som and Palehound’s Bachelor, Bartees Strange, Shamir, and Julien Baker. Check out all the dates down yonder.
Watch “Hot & Heavy” below and pre-order Home Video here.
