Historian (album)

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Historian
Studio album by
Lucy Dacus
ReleasedMarch 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)
Studio
  • Trace Horse Studio (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • The Smoakstack (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Montrose Studios (Richmond, Virginia)
Genre
Length47:35
LabelMatador
Producer
  • Jacob Blizard
  • Lucy Dacus
  • Collin Pastore
Lucy Dacus chronology
No Burden
(2016) 		Historian
(2018) 		Boygenius
(2018)
Singles from Historian
  1. "Night Shift"
    Released: December 12, 2017
  2. "Addictions"
    Released: January 16, 2018
  3. "Next of Kin"
    Released: February 13, 2018

Historian is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus, released on March 2, 2018, through Matador Records.[3]

Background[edit]

Historian was produced by Dacus, Jacob Blizard and Collin Pastore, the same team that produced her debut album, No Burden.[4] Dacus and her band recorded the album over the course of a week in March 2017 in Nashville.[4][5] She described the album as a song cycle about "living through loss and the inevitable darkness of life, and doing so hopefully and joyfully."[4] Of the title of the album, Dacus explained, "It's me having this impulse to document and capture and create a history of my life and the people that I know ... Because as I'm making this history and capturing these things that I hold dear, those things won't stay."[6]

On December 12, 2017, Dacus formally announced the album, alongside the first single from the album "Night Shift".[7] The second single "Addictions" was released on January 16, 2018.[8]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.8/10[9]
Metacritic82/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
The A.V. ClubB[12]
Chicago Tribune[13]
DIY[14]
Mojo[15]
NME[16]
Pitchfork8.1/10[17]
Q[18]
Rolling Stone[2]
Uncut8/10[19]

Historian was met with "universal acclaim" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 82 based on 20 reviews.[10] Marcy Donelson of AllMusic said of the release: "Ultimately, the forte passages don't encroach on the songwriting, as they underline emotion, but they do, at times, step on Dacus' voice, when she's clouded by high-volume accompaniment or even vocal processing. Thankfully, those moments are brief and rare, allowing her lyrics and expressive sense of melody to shine."[11]

Accolades[edit]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Night Shift"6:31
2."Addictions"3:24
3."The Shell"4:37
4."Nonbeliever"3:40
5."Yours & Mine"5:14
6."Body to Flame"3:05
7."Timefighter"5:48
8."Next of Kin"4:06
9."Pillar of Truth"7:14
10."Historians"3:56
Total length:47:35

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

2018 weekly chart performance for Historian
Chart (2018) Peak
position
UK Americana Albums (OCC)[33] 9
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[34] 39
2023 weekly chart performance for Historian
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[35] 14
UK Album Sales (OCC)[36] 45
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[37] 10
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[38] 12
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[39] 20
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[40] 8

References[edit]

  1. ^ Adcock, Lee (March 2, 2018). "Album Review: Historian by Lucy Dacus". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Hopper, Jessica (March 5, 2018). "Review: Lucy Dacus Turns Interior Drama Into Indie-Rock Gold on 'Historian'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  3. ^ Gaca, Anna (December 12, 2017). "Lucy Dacus Announces Sophomore Album Historian; Hear "Night Shift"". Spin. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Coscarelli, Joe (February 15, 2018). "How an Indie-Rock Star Is Made in 2018". The New York Times. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  5. ^ Wilson, Carl (March 7, 2018). "Lucy Dacus' History in the Making". Slate. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  6. ^ Hilleary, Mike (June 7, 2018). "Lucy Dacus on "Historian"". Under the Radar. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  7. ^ Day, Laurence (December 12, 2017). "Lucy Dacus has announced second LP Historian, which she says is the record she "needed to make"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  8. ^ Day, Laurence (January 16, 2018). "Lucy Dacus directs stunning clip for her new single "Addictions"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  9. ^ "Historian by Lucy Dacus reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Historian by Lucy Dacus Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Donelson, Marcy. "Historian – Lucy Dacus". AllMusic. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  12. ^ Anthony, David (March 2, 2018). "Lucy Dacus, Historian". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  13. ^ Kot, Greg (March 2, 2018). "Lucy Dacus takes a big leap with 'Historian'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  14. ^ Freedman, Max (March 2, 2018). "Lucy Dacus – Historian". DIY. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  15. ^ Aston, Martin (April 2018). "Lucy Dacus: Historian". Mojo (293): 94.
  16. ^ Cooper, Leonie (March 2, 2018). "Lucy Dacus – 'Historian' Review". NME. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  17. ^ Geffen, Sasha (March 6, 2018). "Lucy Dacus: Historian". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  18. ^ Mongredien, Phil (May 2018). "Lucy Dacus: Historian". Q (384): 107.
  19. ^ Watts, Peter (April 2018). "Lucy Dacus: Historian". Uncut (251): 26.
  20. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2018 So far". Billboard. June 5, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  21. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2018". Consequence of Sound. December 3, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  22. ^ "The 100 Top Albums of the 2010s". Consequence of Sound. December 30, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  23. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of 2018". Noisey. Vice. December 6, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  24. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". NPR Music. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  25. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Paste. November 26, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  26. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s". Paste. October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  27. ^ "The Best Rock Albums of 2018". Pitchfork. December 17, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  28. ^ "The 70 Best Albums of 2018". PopMatters. December 20, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  29. ^ Dolan, Jon (December 13, 2018). "50 Best Albums of 2018". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  30. ^ Wilson, Cark (December 12, 2018). "The Best Albums of 2018". Slate. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  31. ^ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2018". Under the Radar. December 30, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  32. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Uproxx. December 3, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  33. ^ "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  34. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  35. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  36. ^ "Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  37. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  38. ^ "Americana/Folk Albums: Week of June 10, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  39. ^ "Top Album Sales: Week of June 10, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  40. ^ "Tastemaker Albums: Week of June 10, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
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