Performer Notes

Personnel: John Mailander (violin); Ben Plotnick (viola); Kaitlyn Raitz (cello); Steve Cunningham , Sam Koff (trumpet); John Hulley, Reggie Pace (trombone); Miles Huffman, Jake Finch (drums).
Audio Mixer: John Congleton.
Recording information: Montrose Recording, Richmond, VA; Smoakstack, Nashville, TN; Trace Horse Studio, Nashville, TN.
Photographer: Dusdin Condren.
After releasing a debut album that led to a contract with and reissue by Matador Records, singer/songwriter Lucy Dacus follows up two years later with Historian. The response to 2016's No Burden took note of the songwriter's velvety voice and thoughtful lyrics as well as the album's mix of catchy indie rock and quieter introspection. For Historian, Dacus returned to the studio with the same production team (Dacus, Collin Pastore, Jacob Blizard), but here, they flesh out the arrangements, contrasting spare reflection with soaring dynamics, often within the same song. The album's epic first track, "Night Shift," is a prime example, opening with a quiet recollection of events over strummed guitar as the singer addresses an ex. It builds slowly, gaining drums and eventually grungy, churning guitars as Dacus moves into her upper range. Tracks like "Addictions" and "Body to Flame" expand the palette even further with horns and strings. The latter song begins as restrained chamber pop with harpsichord-like guitar and a string quartet before it kicks into rock & roll gear, dramatically, halfway through. Later, the seven-plus-minute "Pillar of Truth," a hymnlike song that appears to play off of "Amazing Grace" with lyrics like "I once had sight/But now I'm blind," likewise rises and falls sharply in volume. Ultimately, the forte passages don't encroach on the songwriting, as they underline emotion, and the album succeeds in allowing her lyrics and expressive sense of melody to shine. ~ Marcy Donelson

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone - 4 stars out of 5 -- "For all its keen lyricism, HISTORIAN ultimately floats on a sea of fuzz, rich with small melodic details and the sort of glorious guitar heroics that indie rock is often much too modest for."

Magnet - "By the time she gets to the end of 'Yours And Mine,' you get a sense of strength in the face of loss, with Dacus' voice crackling and bright as she links tale after tale of devotion and doubt together to form the sad-eyed tale of America, circa now."

NME (Magazine) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Recorded in Nashville, this is a rock'n'roll album with deep understanding of pop melody but layered up with bold lyrics which disarm you as much as they connect with you."

Paste (magazine) - "Dacus displays remarkable poise here. She never sounds less than supremely confident on lyrics that make the personal political, and vice versa, accompanied by musical arrangements that are sometimes downright majestic."

Album: Historian
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Night Shift	More Info...
2)	Addictions	More Info...
3)	The Shell	More Info...
4)	Nonbeliever	More Info...
5)	Yours & Mine	More Info...
6)	Body to Flame	More Info...
7)	Timefighter	More Info...
8)	Next of Kin	More Info...
9)	Pillar of Truth	More Info...
10)	Historians	More Info...

Album: Historian
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Night Shift	More Info...
2)	Addictions	More Info...
3)	The Shell	More Info...
4)	Nonbeliever	More Info...
5)	Yours & Mine	More Info...
6)	Body to Flame	More Info...
7)	Timefighter	More Info...
8)	Next of Kin	More Info...
9)	Pillar of Truth	More Info...
10)	Historians	More Info...