Brando – New single by Lucy Dacus

Virginia-born singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus continues to come into her own as solo act and individual talent. As one-third of indie-rock band Boygenius, Dacus shares the stage with Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker. On ‘Brando’, however, Dacus is in the spotlight and handles it with immense prose. The single comes as a glimpse of her upcoming studio album Home Video, and to call it a promising glimpse would be to undersell Dacus’ latest. Brando comes on the back of previous singles ‘VBS’, ‘Hot & Heavy’, and ‘Thumbs’ – carrying a similar affective energy to each of these tracks.

In a sweetly brief 3-minutes, Dacus evokes a visceral reimagining of youthful years and relationships. ‘Brando’ sees Dacus reminiscence and craft curious relationship between past friends and partners. “They play oldies in the afternoon for the elderly, and me and you” Dacus sings. It is such witty lines that form the brevity and personality of ‘Brando’ as a single. 

Dacus tells the story of someone so self-obsessed as to think of himself as Marlon Brando. Although Dacus believes he “will never come close”, this allusion carefully paints both a tragic and comedic picture of this character. Dacus has said that Brando ‘refers to a very dramatic friend [she] had in high school whose whole personality was the media he consumed.’ The crumbling of their relationship reaches its emotional peak in the refrain “You never knew me like you thought you did.” Whether autobiographical or of a character of Dacus’ creation, this line is suggestive of a being at peace with moving on from this friendship.

Conversely, this could also be a self-reflection on the struggle to open up and expose your heart to being hurt. All of a sudden, the protagonist doesn’t seem as at-peace with her ability to move on as she first let on – stating that she needs her partner to admit that they never knew her properly. Almost as if this admittance will free her to a state of acceptance and personal realisation.

It is these layers that offer ‘Brando’ a complexity that demands repeated listens to get something entirely new out of it on each listen. When it sounds this good, it’s not hard to do exactly that. ‘Brando’ has the emotive presence and texture of a Clairo song while vocally echoing the sound of Wolf Alice’s Ellie Roswell. Much like these peers, Dacus should be lauded for the firm hold she has on the message and tone she conveys through her music. ‘Brando’ unwaveringly reinforces this as the progression of the song illustrates a natural talent for songwriting and artistry.

Rollicking along to a hypnotic drum pattering from start-to-finish, ‘Brando’ never lets up its airtight construction and tempo. The progression of the song’s lyrics and characters perfectly mirror its sound – all the pieces of the puzzle come together seamlessly. Dacus’ dedication to her craft on ‘Brando’ bodes well for her music moving forward and the scores of listeners who will surely discover her music and talent over the coming years.

Dacus will soon be touring North America in support of widely celebrated indie-rock outfit Bright Eyes before beginning her own tour of a release that promises to be her “most personal album to date” (New Yorker). As an artist and musician, Lucy Dacus is incredibly inventive but also unpredictable. Not knowing what’s coming next form Dacus makes me all the more excited to hear it when it comes.

Home Video will be released on 25 June 2021 via Matador Records. ‘Brando’ is available to stream now on all major platforms.

Lucy Dacus
lucydacus.com
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Image: Ebru Yildiz