No Burden

At a mere 21 years old, Lucy Dacus is well on her way to something good. The Richmond, Va., resident released her debut, No Burden, earlier this year; an album recorded in a mere day. Popular groundswell led to a re-release by the tastemakers at Matador, where the album continues to spread like wildfire. The sound is straightforward; growling electric guitar or somber acoustic, pulsing no-frill drums, and Dacus sonically swimming through with a voice beyond her years. Dacus’ vocals are reminiscent of Heartless Bastards’ Erika Wennerstrom; driving, smooth alto delivery that seems permanently in the pocket. A majority of the songs are slow builders, starting soft with vocal focus and eventually firing into full instrumental charge. Tracks like “Strange Torpedo” and “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore” stand out as easy entrance points with start-to-finish energy. Lyrically, the songs tend to fall on the shy forlorn side, but manage a little humor. I take back my earlier statement; Dacus has fully arrived at something good.