Lucy Dacus Forever Is A Feeling
Lucy Dacus's Forever Is A Feeling finds the singer-songwriter leaning into domestic intimacy and restrained drama, and across professional reviews the record earns a cautiously favorable reception that answers whether the collection is worth a deep listen. Critics point repeatedly to the album's lyric-driven focus on memory, fleeting romance and time, and they locate its strongest moments where Dacus allows melody and texture to swell - most notably on “Limerence”, “Forever Is A Feeling” and “Lost Time”.
The critical consensus, measured at a 69.4/100 across 15 professional reviews, highlights a recurring tension: reviewers consistently praise Dacus's diaristic songwriting, evocative everyday detail and occasional widescreen arrangements, while also noting the record's subdued, sometimes too-placid production that can dilute emotional gut-punches. Across reviews from Mojo, Pitchfork, The Guardian and others, standout tracks named again and again include “Limerence”, the plaintive title cut “Forever Is A Feeling” and the devastating closer “Lost Time”, with additional praise for intimate moments such as “Ankles” and “For Keeps”.
Nuance emerges in assessments: some critics celebrate Dacus's move toward lush, Broadway-tinged strings and collaborative flourishes as musical expansion that deepens her storytelling, while others view the same restraint as a softening that sacrifices sharper hooks from earlier work. The consensus suggests a mature, carefully produced record that rewards repeated listens when it breaks into full dramatic bloom. For readers searching for an informed Forever Is A Feeling review or the best songs on Forever Is A Feeling, the critical narrative points to those named tracks as the album's most compelling proof of Dacus's evolving craft.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Most Wanted
1 mention
""Most Wanted" is the album’s only guitar rocker, and easily its most urgent track sonically,"— Rolling Stone
Limerence (instrumentation mention duplicated)
1 mention
"the way piano hits and strings form around the words make it sound as though they are built around them"— Far Out Magazine
Lost Time
10 mentions
"the album closer, where she sings accompanied only by acoustic guitar at first"— Paste Magazine
"Most Wanted" is the album’s only guitar rocker, and easily its most urgent track sonically,
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Calliope Prelude
Big Deal
Ankles
Limerence
Modigliani
Talk
For Keeps
Forever Is A Feeling
Come Out
Best Guess
Bullseye (with Hozier)
Most Wanted Man
Lost Time
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 17 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
In his measured, observant voice John Aizlewood notes that Lucy Dacus has returned to her day job with Forever Is A Feeling, a layered, lush and contemplative record whose best tracks include “Lost Time” and “Bullseye”. He highlights the gorgeous closer “Lost Time” where she is "knocking down your door", and praises Hozier's cameo on “Bullseye” as a sterling contribution. The review singles out adventurous moments - soaring strings on “Ankles”, space-age plinking on the title track and distorted slow grunge on “Talk” - that make these the album's most memorable songs. Overall the tone is appreciative and assured, positioning these songs as the best tracks on Forever Is A Feeling because they blend emotional heft with inventive production.
Key Points
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The best song is "Lost Time" because it is called the "gorgeous closer" and delivers a striking lyrical moment.
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The album's strengths are its layered, lush arrangements and adventurous production choices that balance introspection with bold textures.
Themes
Critic's Take
In a characteristically measured voice, Lucy Dacus's Forever Is A Feeling finds its clearest moments in tracks like “Forever Is A Feeling” and “Talk”, where the melodies are allowed to soar and the guitars briefly cut loose. Joshua Mills writes with the sort of conversational, slightly sardonic cadence that undercuts fawning praise, noting how the album's stateliness sometimes costs it oomph yet admits the title track's dextrous build is "a thing of beauty". He praises Dacus's lyricism and single-minded focus on a new relationship while lamenting a softness that keeps some songs, notably “Ankles” and the Hozier duet, from truly growing. The result answers queries about the best tracks on Forever Is A Feeling by pointing to “Forever Is A Feeling” and “Talk” as the album's most rewarding moments.
Key Points
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The title track is best for its build, vocal range, and Boygenius-backed climax.
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The album's core strengths are lyricism and focused themes, offset by a restrained, soft-focus production.
Critic's Take
There are clear best tracks on Forever Is A Feeling, and Lucy Dacus sounds most alive when she lands a sharp image or a jolting line. On “Limerence” she luxuriates in string-heavy theatricality, while the sparse Blake Mills arrangement on “For Keeps” exposes her aching vocals in all their fragility. The album’s brighter moment, “Best Guess”, offers a genuine jolt with gendered tenderness that proves Dacus can write startlingly awake love songs. Yet too often the record drifts toward muted, dreamlike territory, making its high points feel precious and intermittent.
Key Points
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The best song is "Limerence" because its string-heavy, theatrical arrangement and lyrical comfort zone make Dacus sound most vivid.
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The album’s core strengths are intimate vocal moments and occasional jolting lyrics, though they are unevenly distributed across muted, mid-tempo songs.
Themes
Critic's Take
Lucy Dacus sounds happier and more assured on Forever Is A Feeling, where love-fuelled lyricism and minimalist melodies meet. The review leans on intimate moments to flag the best tracks - “Most Wanted Man” for its small, domestic tenderness and the title track “Forever Is A Feeling” for its plaintive memory of attraction. Dacus balances celebration with insecurity, so the best songs on Forever Is A Feeling feel lived-in rather than performative. The inclusion of Hozier on “Bullseye” adds a warm collaborative flourish that punctuates the record's emotional core.
Key Points
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“Most Wanted Man” is the best song for its intimate, domestic tenderness and heartfelt lyricism.
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The album's core strengths are its love-fuelled lyricism, minimalist melodies, and candid exploration of insecurity within queer relationships.
Themes
Critic's Take
In this review Lewis Wade finds that Lucy Dacus's Forever Is A Feeling has moments that sing brightest - notably “For Keeps”, “Most Wanted Man” and the closer “Lost Time”. Wade praises Dacus when she "lays into the guitar" and when songs are pared back, arguing those approaches reveal her songwriting genius more clearly than the album's safer chamber-pop moments. He calls “Lost Time” a "devastating tour-de-force" and positions “For Keeps” as a tender highlight, which together answer the question of the best tracks on Forever Is A Feeling. Overall the tone is admiring but measured, noting flashes of brilliance amid recurring caution in lyrics and arrangements.
Key Points
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The best song is "Lost Time" because it is called a "devastating tour-de-force" and functions as a powerful, melancholic closer.
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The album's core strengths are Dacus's moments of raw honesty and her command of tempo shifts and stripped-back arrangements.
Themes
Fa
Critic's Take
In his intimate, reverent tone Dale Maplethorpe argues that Lucy Dacus’s Forever Is A Feeling earns its keep because of songs like “Lost Time” and “Limerence”, which capture love and memory in luminous, precise detail. He writes as if guiding a reader through a cherished novel, insisting no skips - and his praise for “Lost Time” as a "perfect song" frames it as one of the best tracks on Forever Is A Feeling. The review highlights how the storytelling and lyrical detail elevate tracks such as “For Keeps” and the title song, praising dynamics, vocal nuance and small instrumental flourishes. Overall his voice is celebratory and clear: this is an affecting singer-songwriter record whose best tracks repay repeated listens.
Key Points
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“Lost Time” is the album’s emotional apex, called "a perfect song" and serving as a resonant closing statement.
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The album’s core strengths are Dacus’s storytelling, lyrical detail and subtle instrumental arrangements that deepen the emotional impact.
Themes
Critic's Take
Alexis Petridis hears restraint as the defining trait of Forever Is A Feeling, praising Lucy Dacus's intimate lyricism while noting a scarcity of arresting tunes. He highlights “Limerence” as the album's most musically striking moment and singles out “Modigliani” and “Come Out” for vivid, detail-rich lines. The review frames the best tracks as those where Dacus leans toward a show-tune sweep or allows a louder impulse to surface, but overall the record opts for pleasant understatement rather than sharp, memorable hooks.
Key Points
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The best song, "Limerence", is the most musically striking because it leans into a show-tune sweep that suits Dacus's deep voice.
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The album's core strengths are intimate, vivid lyricism and tasteful, restrained production, but it often lacks sharply memorable melodies.
Themes
Critic's Take
Lucy Dacus leans into aching restraint on Forever Is A Feeling, and the record’s best moments come when a darker texture punctures its sweetness. Snapes notices how the album trades earlier bonfire crackle for a courtly sheen, making songs like “Ankles”, “Bullseye” and “Talk” feel like small, devastating vignettes. She praises “Bullseye” for possessing the album’s best chorus while arguing the music is often hamstrung by caution. Ultimately, the record feels like earned wisdom rendered in demure, sometimes quietly thrilling arrangements.
Key Points
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The best song is "Bullseye" for its tender delivery and the album's strongest chorus.
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The album's core strength is its lyrical intimacy and considered arrangements, even when the music plays it safe.
Themes
Critic's Take
Lucy Dacus’s Forever Is A Feeling keeps her signature attention to memory while polishing songs into gleaming pop. The reviewer's ear lingers on “Big Deal” and the title track as exemplars of Dacus’ warm, luminous songcraft, and “Lost Time” is singled out as an instant-classic closer. There is praise for playful moments like “Ankles” and spare confessionals such as “For Keeps”, which together explain why listeners search for the best tracks on Forever Is A Feeling. The narrative remains that Dacus has softened some jagged confessional edges but traded them for wider, more universal pop resonance.
Key Points
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The best song is the closer "Lost Time" because the reviewer calls it an "instant classic of a closer" and ties it to lasting emotional moments.
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The album’s core strengths are Dacus’ warm, luminous songcraft and the blending of intimate songwriter detail with gleaming pop production.
Themes
Critic's Take
Lucy Dacus keeps getting more candid on Forever Is A Feeling, and the best songs - notably “Ankles” and “Come Out” - are the ones where that frankness pays off in vivid, immediate detail. Danton writes with a measured admiration, pointing to the erotic specificity of “Ankles” and the impulsive romanticism of “Come Out” as highlights that make the album's diaristic voice feel alive. He also singles out the wistful closer, “Lost Time”, for its full-circle arrangement that underlines Dacus' growth. Overall, the record's lush textures and guest contributions serve the songs, letting Dacus sound like the purest version of herself while widening her palette.
Key Points
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The best song is likely "Ankles" because its erotic specificity and candid lyrics make it an immediate standout.
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The album's strengths are candid, diaristic songwriting and expanded, lush musical arrangements that foreground Dacus' voice.
Themes
mu
Critic's Take
In this review I find Lucy Dacus’s Forever Is A Feeling anchored by her best songs - notably “Ankles” and “For Keeps” - where lush arrangements and confessional lyrics collide. The record wears its collaborations proudly, but it is Dacus’s knack for unforgettable lines that makes tracks like “Limerence” and “Last Time” sing. Across the album her emotive vocals ride strings and piano with an operatic-pop flair, and those standout moments are precisely what answer the question of the best tracks on Forever Is A Feeling.
Key Points
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"For Keeps" is best for its unforgettable, emotionally dense lyrics and memorable lines.
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The album’s core strengths are lush arrangements and Dacus' confessional songwriting delivered by emotive, operatic-pop vocals.
Themes
Critic's Take
Matthew Neale finds that on Lucy Dacus's Forever Is A Feeling the best moments — notably “Limerence” and “Ankles” — come from small, vivid details and well-placed string parts, but he argues the record often drifts into generic bliss. He praises the swooning production and Dacus's rich alto, yet repeatedly returns to the idea that the album lacks the gut-punch of past songs. The review balances admiration for the domestic warmth of songs like “Ankles” with frustration at cliché and a tentative second half.
Key Points
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The best song moments hinge on vivid incidental details and tasteful arrangements, as heard in “Ankles”.
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The album's core strengths are Dacus's vocal delivery and lush production, which sometimes drift into generic bliss.
Themes
Critic's Take
In a voice both wry and tender, Lucy Dacus unspools the best tracks on Forever Is A Feeling with cinematic sweep and plainspoken lines. The opener “Calliope Prelude” sets the ornate chamber-pop scene, while “Best Guess” lands as a songwriterly standout with the line that clicks into place. The title track “Forever Is A Feeling” captures the album’s central paradox - "This is bliss, this is hell" - making it one of the best songs on Forever Is A Feeling. Dacus balances theatrical flourishes and dry wit throughout, which is why listeners will be drawn to these key moments.
Key Points
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The title track best expresses the album’s central paradox of bliss and torment.
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The album’s core strengths are its chamber-pop arrangements, vivid lyrical scenes, and Dacus’s warm, nostalgic vocal delivery.
Themes
Critic's Take
Lucy Dacus stretches out on Forever Is a Feeling with a suite of adult love songs that trade coming-of-age melodrama for lived-in, messy romance. Sheffield zeroes in on standouts like “Limerence” and “Ankles”, praising the twisted supper-club piano of “Limerence” and the libidinal build and Eighties synth burbles in “Ankles”. He also highlights the jaunty title track and the urgent Byrds-style rush of “Most Wanted” as proof she can turn intimacy into widescreen drama. The result is a record that feels both high-profile and warmly familiar, often startling when Dacus flips a line into something heartbreakingly sly.
Key Points
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The best song is "Limerence" because its twisted supper-club piano and startling vocal twist make it a highlight.
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The album’s core strengths are intimate, adult-minded songwriting and Dacus’s warm, sometimes startling vocal turns.
Themes
Critic's Take
Jeremy Winograd hears Lucy Dacus as a quiet chronicler of intimacy on Forever Is A Feeling, praising the way quotidian moments become revelatory. In his measured, observant tone he singles out “Ankles” and the title track “Forever Is a Feeling” for their pulsating cello-rock and ethereal synth swirl, respectively, while noting how songs like “For Keeps” land with a naked, acoustic gut punch. The review balances admiration for Dacus's lyrical clarity with a critique of the album's retreat to sleepy, strummy arrangements. Overall, Winograd frames the best songs as those that break the album's laidback spell and restore the dramatic climaxes she does so well.
Key Points
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The best song moments are those that inject drama into the album's laidback palette, notably the pulsating cello-rock of "Ankles".
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The album's core strengths are Dacus's intimate lyricism and ability to make everyday details feel revelatory.