''Home Video'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter

Lucy Dacus Lucy Elizabeth Dacus (born May 2, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Dacus attracted attention with her debut album '' No Burden'' (2016), which led to a deal with Matador Records. Her secon ...

. It was released on June 25, 2021, via

Matador A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...

. It was promoted by the singles "Thumbs", "Hot & Heavy", "VBS", "Brando", and "Going Going Gone". The album received critical acclaim and placed on many critics' year-end lists.

Background

In late February 2021, certain fans of Dacus received a VHS tape of a new song in the mail. On March 9, 2021, the song was released using the title "Thumbs". It had long been a staple of Dacus' live performances prior to its release. Dacus explained the way the song came about in a

press release A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...

. Home video footage is used in the album's music videos, as Dacus "wanted to visualize the moment when you first reflect on your childhood, which I think can also be the moment that childhood is over."

Promotion

Prior to the album's announcement, "Thumbs" was released as the lead single on March 9, 2021. On April 13, 2021, Dacus released the lead single for the album, "Hot & Heavy". The release of "Hot & Heavy" was accompanied by the album's official announcement. Dacus performed the song on ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...

''. On May 19, 2021, Dacus released the album's third single, "VBS". "Brando" was released as the fourth single on June 8, 2021. The song was sent to adult alternative radio on June 14, 2021. Dacus promoted the album with a 28-city tour across North America in 2021. A shortened version of "Going Going Gone" was released as a single on August 7, 2021.

Critical reception

''Home Video'' was met with widespread critical acclaim. At

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, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an

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score of 85, based on 18 reviews. Reviewing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, Marcy Donelson wrote that, "With Dacus' warm vocals and melodies leading the way throughout, ''Home Video'' is an engrossing set steeped in life lessons and nostalgia." In '' Clash'', Rebecca Sibley declared it "a powerful album" and "another exquisite offering from Lucy Dacus", while ''

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''s Peyton Thomas appraised it as "a bold statement, a powerful post-adolescent text in its own right". ''

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'' reviewer Dylan Barnabe claimed that, "Dacus has long been heralded for her ability as a raconteur, and ''Home Video'' further cements this reputation. It is a deeply personal album filled with raw vignettes of young adulthood that claw at our collective consciousness." Writing for ''

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'', Rhian Daly believed that, "for the most part, Dacus proves that looking back at your past might make you cringe, but there is beauty and value in those faltering, gawky days." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine's Angie Martoccio hailed the album as "her greatest work yet — a cohesive and poignant collection of tales from her teenage years in Richmond, Virginia", with stories "woven like a quilt, with several dark patches reminiscent of her hero

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

's '' The River''". Jeremy Winograd shared similar praise in his review for ''

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'', saying that, "Ultimately, it's less the nuances of Dacus's writing than her willingness to expose herself and her past so freely—even the most difficult parts—that make the strongest impression on ''Home Video''." In June 2021, ''Home Video'' was listed as the 15th best album of the year so far by

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and was included on a similar list by

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Accolades

Track listing

Personnel

Performers

*Dominic Angelella *

Liza Anne Liza Anne (born Elizabeth Anne Odachowski) is an American rock musician born in Saint Simons Island, Georgia St. Simons Island (or simply St. Simons) is a barrier island and census-designated place (CDP) located on St. Simons Island in Gl ...

*Drew Baker * Julien Baker *Beans *Jacob Blizard *

Phoebe Bridgers Phoebe Lucille Bridgers (born August 17, 1994) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She has released two solo albums, ''Stranger in the Alps'' (2017) and ''Punisher'' (2020), both of which received critical acclaim ...

*Preston Cochran *Keilan Creech *Camille Faulkner *Jake Finch *Hadley Kennary *Patrick Hyland *Marin Leong *

Mitski Mitski Miyawaki (born Mitsuki Laycock; September 27, 1990), known professionally by the mononym Mitski, is a Japanese-born American singer-songwriter. Mitski self-released her first two albums, '' Lush'' (2012) and '' Retired from Sad, New Caree ...

*Collin Pastore *Scottie Prudhoe *Ali Thibodeau *Mackenzie Werner *Harrison Whitford

Technical

*Jacob Blizard – producer *Preston Cochran – engineer *Lucy Dacus – producer *

Shawn Everett Shawn Everett (born July 6, 1982) is a Canadian music engineer and producer best known for his work with Alabama Shakes, Kacey Musgraves, The War on Drugs, The Killers, and Julian Casablancas. Everett has won six Grammy Awards. Early life Ever ...

– mixing *Jake Finch – producer *

Bob Ludwig Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Qu ...

– engineer *Collin Pastore – producer *Scottie Prudhoe – engineer

Charts

References

{{Lucy Dacus 2021 albums Lucy Dacus albums Matador Records albums Pop albums by American artists