Singer-songwriter and boygenius member Lucy Dacus has officially released the song “Thumbs,” which has been a fan-favorite during her live shows for several years. The song, which has its own dedicated Twitter account, was released to 100 unsuspecting fans in the form of a hand-assembled VHS tape.
“Thumbs” is an earnest ballad, with Dacus discussing meeting the estranged father of a friend, who is implied to have been abusive. Dacus discusses her desire to “kill” the father, closing the song with the line “you don’t owe him shit even if he said you did.” The song hosts a minimal ambient instrumental, with light keyboards forming the main melody, as Dacus’ melancholic voice solemnly hovers over spacious tones.
According to Dacus, this song was written during a 15-minute car ride to Nashville, and was first unveiled during her tour with boygenius in 2018. The song recalls an event from her freshman year of college, which she called a “significant day.”
“Like most songs I write, I wasn’t expecting it and it made me feel weird, almost sick,” Dacus explained in a press release. “It tells the story of a day I had with a friend during our freshman year of college, a significant day, but not one that I had thought of for years.”
Dacus covered Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In The Dark” from his 1984 classic Born In The U.S.A. back in 2019. Her supergroup boygenius, which features Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker, appeared on Hayler Williams’ “Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris” last year and Baker’s “Favor” earlier this year.
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