Lucy Dacus, the 26-year-old Virginia-born indie rock singer/songwriter just released her new single “VBS.” Existing as the third released single on her upcoming album Home Video, the song recalls Dacus’ winters, springs, and summers spent at Vacation Bible School, where she was supposed to be getting closer to Jesus yet was instead experiencing her first relationship. While Dacus attended many of these Christian camps over the course of her youth, the song focuses on the summer of 2007, when the then twelve-year-old Dacus was trying to save her boyfriend from drugs, which unexpectedly pushed her to familiarize herself with her own inner gloom. By bearing witness to her boyfriend’s addiction, Dacus recalls optimistic efforts at getting him clean and “show[ing] [him] the light;” attempts that only led her to questioning the religious institution she had been brought up in, as it merely left her feeling “darker than before.”
The song echoes a widespread experience that those who have distanced themselves from the religion of their upbringing know too well. It’s this odd co-existence of believing so heavily in the light of the world yet failing to encounter this same airy beauty in one’s individual experience. For Dacus, this confrontation serves as the steppingstone into her adolescent rebellion, as she begins to laugh at the bible schools’ poetry and snorts nutmeg with her boyfriend during that summer. The song is a symbol of Dacus’ juvenile transition, where she is beginning to think for herself and starting to challenge everything she’s been taught. Though, its merely a chapter of Dacus’ coming of age story, as the entire narrative will be told on June 25th, when her third album is set to come out. The album’s release has been coupled with the announcement of a North American tour where she’ll be performing across the U.S., with Bartees Strange, Julien Baker, Shamir and the Bachelor at select shows, during the September and October months.
You can stream “VBS” here, and pre-order Home Video at this link. The dates to Dacus’ Home Video tour are listed below.
Home Video Tour:
Fri. Sept. 10 – Richmond, VA @ The National
(Julien Baker Headline/Lucy Support, + special guests)
Sat. Sept. 11 – Richmond, VA @ The National
(Lucy Headline/Julien Baker Support, + special guests)
Mon. Sept. 13 – Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom (with Bachelor) Tue. Sept. 14 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West (with Bachelor) Wed. Sept. 15 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl (with Bachelor) Fri. Sept. 17 – Dallas, TX @ Trees (with Bachelor) Sat. Sept. 18 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall- Downstairs (with Bachelor) Sun. Sept. 19 – Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn (with Bachelor)
Mon. Sept. 20 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger (with Bachelor) Wed. Sept. 22 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole (with Bachelor) Fri. Sept. 24 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Theatre at Ace Hotel (with Bachelor) Sat. Sept. 25 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory OC (with Bachelor) Mon. Sept. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore (with Bachelor) Thu. Sept. 30 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre (with Bartees Strange)
Fri. Oct. 1 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom (with Bartees Strange)
Sat. Oct. 2 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre (with Bartees Strange)
Tue. Oct. 5 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge (with Bartees Strange)
Fri. Oct. 8 – Iowa City, IA @ The Englert Theatre (with Bartees Strange)
Sat. Oct. 9 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue (with Bartees Strange)
Mon. Oct. 11 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre (with Bartees Strange)
Tue. Oct. 12 – Columbus , OH @ Newport Music Hall (with Bartees Strange)
Thu. Oct. 14 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House (with Bartees Strange)
Fri. Oct. 15 – Montreal, QC @ L’Astral (with Bartees Strange)
Sat. Oct. 16 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues (with Bartees Strange)
Mon. Oct. 18 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground (with Bartees Strange)
Wed. Oct. 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer (with Shamir)
Fri. Oct. 22 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club (with Bartees Strange)
Mon. Oct. 25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel