Lucy Dacus delivers the feeling of the consuming highs and lows of love conveyed in her adult relationship-centered album “Forever Is A Feeling.” 

Dacus’ fourth album illustrates past and present romances in a new, tender and affectionate light. Her music expresses how the only eternity we are promised is established in our feelings for others. 

“Forever Is A Feeling” debuted March 28 after the build-up of her well-loved third album “Home Video” released in 2021. Her newest album intimately explores the grief of love lost and the overpowering obsession of platonic feelings turned romantic. 

The album confirms the romantic rumors swirling between fellow band member of BoyGenius, Julien Baker. 

According to People magazine, Dacus said, “We wanted to be protective because it matters so much. I hope to God people knowing won’t make it a less true or pleasant experience. So that’s one of the many precious things I’m giving up with this record.”

Dacus opens her album with “Calliope Prelude,” an instrumental song composed of longing, yearning strings, establishing the album’s core focus of hope and loss. 

“Ankles,” “Limerence,” “Best Guess” and “Talk” were singles that gave listeners a taste of the playful obsession of love, the grief of letting go and the experience of looking to the past while still moving forward. 

The title track, “Forever is a Feeling,” is a lively, upbeat song revolving around a romantically charged road trip. The song reiterates the compromises that go alongside relationships and how love changes you.

The lyrics include, “You knew the scenic route / I knew the shortcut and shut my mouth / Isn’t that what love’s about? / Doing whatever to draw it out?”

The only collab of the album included singer and songwriter Hozier. It draws out a similar message that the unnamed lover is Dacus’ perfect fit in “Bullseye.” The alluring duet reveals how love takes over one’s mind, becoming obsessive. 

Hozier soothingly sings, “I miss borrowing your books to read your notes in the margins / The closest I got to reading your mind,”  to which the pair harmonized the lines, “The answers to the questions only made more questions / I hope you’re never fully satisfied.”

The track expands upon the addictive desire to know every small detail of your partner, never growing bored of the person they truly are.

“Forever Is A Feeling” balances the tightrope between uplifting and lighthearted sounds and sorrowful, guilt-ridden ballads. 

“Best Guess,” the tenth track with a soft, upbeat melody, is Dacus’ attempt at putting all her effort into her partner because the emotions she feels are something she believes will last forever. The person and relationship will always be something of value to the singer. The song also explores the intertwined limbo space between platonic and romantic love and how embracing romance, presumably for Julien Baker, is freeing. 

The final track, “Lost Time,” exhibits the overwhelming regret of not admitting one’s feelings sooner, failed relationships and the pain of loss. Dacus opens the song with a downbeat acoustic sound that boldly shifts to an explosion of loud drums and a guitar to show how loud Dacus’ love is, allowing herself to be proud in embracing her partner fully. 

Dacus sings, “Nothing lasts forever, but let’s see how far we get / So when it comes my time to lose you, I’ll have made the most of it.”

By admitting that the person you love isn’t a choice and that nothing lasts forever except for our love for each other, Dacus can run towards intimacy with open arms. 

The album encourages bravery in love, fully embracing the change that comes along with it. 

The debate on whether or not signing with a larger studio, Geffen Records, shifted her music to appeal to more mainstream audiences. The vivid, moving lyrics clearly took priority over impactful melodies. The argument that her passionate fire was extinguished by her now sweet-sounding album only further confines Dacus to one musical expectation. Dacus expressed a more mature development in her music as she examines complicated relationships through an adult lens. 

“Forever Is A Feeling” is a sweet, playful, seductive and melancholic album that encompasses the rewards and misfortunes of relationships, failed love and the joy of embracing forever in the people around us.