Lucy Dacus’ ‘Best Guess’: The Art of Navigating the Unknown

Lucy Dacus has released her third single off of her upcoming album ‘Forever Is A Feeling’ due to be released on March 28th, an album that seems to cover her experience as a queer artist and her perspective of experiencing queer relationships. 

Previously performed at boygenius member's gig, Julien Baker, the lyrics of ‘Best Guess’ is almost a love letter to her future self and partner, focusing on the “what ifs” of dating rather than current experiences. Throughout the chorus, the lyrics “If I were a gambling man, and I am  / You’d be my best bet” are repeated, portraying the constant fears and risks taken in relationships, which beautifully embodies the insecurities that can present when dating. 

Sonically, the single has a bass loop throughout, with a mixture of drums in between the notes, keeping the instrumental of the song in line with its repeated meaning. When using the pronoun “You” throughout the lyric “Talking about you, you, you”, the strums of the bass are replaced with high notes from a keyboard, emphasising the song's focus, making ‘the other woman’ seem like a positive gamble to take. 

The single is also accompanied by a music video starring the likes of Towa Bird, Cara Delevingne, and MUNA’s Naomi Mcpherson, plus many more, pushing the focus onto the lyrics “If I were a gambling man, and I am” as Lucy and her friends are shown to be sat around a casino table whilst Lucy is pictured taking focus away from the game when staring straight into the camera. 

Following the previous singles, ‘Ankles’ and ‘Limerence,’ the cycle of waiting and dreaming about the possibility of a relationship outcome continues throughout the slow yet enjoyable presentation of love and yearning, which embodies everyone's typical ‘relationship dream’. 

Olivia Davis 

@livssetlist

Image: ‘Forever Is A Feeling’ Official Album Cover

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