Lucius
Second Nature
Dine Alone Records
On their sophomore effort, Good Grief, Brooklyn four-piece Lucius perfectly reinvented their act. From the ashes of their indie-folk debut rose an electrifying callback to 80s and 90s dance-pop, captained with the confident allure of Jess Wolfe & Holly Lasseigβs intoxicating harmonies. This vocal euphoria, backed by the riveting instrumentations of Dan Molad & Peter Lalish, has withstood more than half a decade of trials and tribulations, culminating in Second Nature, Luciusβ most concise record yet.
On lead single, βNext to Normalβ, Lasseig & Wolfe chant over psychedelic guitars and multi-layered drums (are those bongos?!) in gratitude for their relationship — the co-writing bond that birthed Lucius. It sets the stage perfectly for an album driven to get past lifeβs inevitable realities with the power of music and movement. Songs like βDance Around Itβ and βSecond Natureβ get directly to the point of this, proudly proclaiming βOur loveβs burning out, weβll keep dancing around itβ over an infectious combination of distorted guitar and rapid drumming which sounds like a Top 40 take on disco. Even the undeniably catchy βPromisesβ uses its runtime to channel jaded feelings with jubilance as the ladies chastise a scorned lover with βPromises/Empty like the bed you sleep in.β Sheryl Crowβs production feels most present here.
Lasseig & Wolfe donβt always play it so coy, though. On ballads β24β and βWhite Liesβ their heartbroken vocals go centre stage. When the lyrics arenβt hiding behind the music is when things get serious, channeling compelling harmonies with moving words. On βThe Man Iβll Never Findβ the two hopelessly proclaim βI wish it was worth the work and I wasnβt tired/I canβt just stop and try to fix it if I know that it was never right.β
Second Nature doesnβt always focus on the hard times, though. βLSDβ relinquishes itself to the seductive joys of romance – in this case, the acronym bashfully stands for βlove so deepβ. βHeartburstsβ puts John Hughes credit rolls to shame with its insanely cheery chorus of βBetter give your heart than never give at allβ over punching drums and dreamy keys. This dichotomy between sadness and joy is appropriately summed up by βTears In Reverseβ, which asks where to put the blame, proposing βWhat comes first/Wanting the water or feeling the thirst?β. The songβs solution, of course, is to turn whatever it is into something meaningful.
With their third record, Lucius culminates their mix of balladry and indie pop into a total whole, thematically weaving threads of heartbreak and hope together to blur the line between their deepest scars and greatest feats. And while Second Nature meditates on both, itβs hard to deny that it belongs in the latter category.
ArtistΒ Links
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LUCIUS – SECOND NATURE
Robert Defina