Lucy Dacus becomes a living masterpiece in the music video for her latest single, “Ankles.” For a brief moment, she escapes the confines of a gilded frame and steps into the vibrant chaos of city life. Although she ultimately returns to her painted world, she enjoyed one final taste of freedom on Wednesday evening, performing the track on The Tonight Show.
During the performance, the frame behind Dacus differs slightly from the artwork featured in the video, showcasing a blue-toned landscape with darkening skies and distant valleys.
However, Dacus remains dressed in the same regal red gown with puffed sleeves, surrounded by a seven-piece band. Singing with fervor, she delivers the poignant lines, “Agent of chaos, angel of death/One of three ancient fates/Playing with your scissors again. How lucky are we to have so much to lose?/Now don’t move when I tell you what to do.”
“Ankles” debuted earlier this week alongside “Limerence,” marking the first singles from Dacus’ highly anticipated studio album, Forever Is a Feeling, set to release on March 28.
In February, Dacus will showcase tracks from the album in intimate venues, including museums and churches in cities such as Brooklyn, Chicago, and San Francisco. Tickets were offered through a lottery system in December, making these shows exclusive events.
These performances also signify her return to solo gigs following her time with Boygenius — the supergroup she shares with Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker. The trio toured extensively throughout 2023, concluding their journey together for now in February 2024.
Reflecting on the perception of melancholic songwriting in a 2023 interview, Dacus expressed her desire to transcend stereotypes: “I just want me and my friends to survive,” she said. “When you internalize it, your personality is sadness, which is often tied to depression and detachment from life.
I want the most joy that I can get, and I want that for everyone that I love. But on a personal level, I don’t want to be pigeonholed in that. And it’s not true. Shut up. I try to write more nuanced things than that.”