Lucy Dacus Unearths a 2016 Outtake, Covers Michelle Zauner's 'Paprika' at Bumbershoot
American singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus has released a previously unreleased song, "No Thank You, I Love You, Goodbye." According to NME, the track dates back to 2016, written during the sessions for her debut album No Burden but left off the record at the time. It now closes out the album's 10th-anniversary reissue, which also comes with new artwork. Dacus separately announced on social media that she has regained ownership of the master recordings for No Burden.
The reissue and reclaiming the masters
In a lengthy social media post, Dacus looked back on the circumstances under which she wrote those songs. At the time, she didn't yet think of herself as a musician — she was working odd jobs as a ticket-taker, a yearbook photo editor, and a restaurant server, scraping together $195 a month to cover rent split with two roommates. She described scrawling lyrics on Post-its or napkins, humming melodies on the walk home, and working out guitar parts before bed, believing at the time that "maybe 50 people" would ever hear the songs.
She said this was the first time in years she'd properly relistened to the album, and that she felt she "hadn't found her voice" yet — her accent, she noted, sounded more Southern than it does now, and she wondered if she'd subconsciously suppressed that side of herself since. The album was recorded in a single day; she said more time might have helped her sound more grounded. On the masters, she wrote simply: "No Burden is mine" — adding that the day she'd get them back had always felt far away.
Filling in for Japanese Breakfast at Bumbershoot
Alongside the reissue news, Dacus recently played Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival, stepping in for Japanese Breakfast, who withdrew from the show due to pregnancy. On stage, Dacus covered Michelle Zauner's "Paprika" as a tribute.
A run of recent guest appearances
Dacus's most recent album is last year's Forever Is A Feeling. Her recent collaborative appearances include:
- Joining Hayley Williams's set at Newport Folk Festival this summer, alongside Jack Antonoff, Jenny Lewis, Remi Wolf, Wednesday's Karly Hartzman, and Joy Oladokun
- Duetting on the Killers' "Read My Mind" with The Killers at Montreal's Osheaga Festival last August
- Covering the Magnetic Fields' "The Book of Love" with Chappell Roan at a Sudan and Palestine benefit show organized by Mustafa in Los Angeles
- Bringing out boygenius bandmate Julien Baker for "Bullseye" at Outside Lands in August