Historian (album)

Historian is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus, released on March 2, 2018, by Matador Records.[1]

Historian
Studio album by Lucy Dacus
Released	March 2, 2018
Studio	Trace Horse Studio (Nashville, Tennessee) The Smoakstack (Nashville, Tennessee) Montrose Studios (Richmond, Virginia)
Genre	Indie rock, indie folk
Length	47:35
Label	Matador
Producer	Collin Pastore
Lucy Dacus chronology
No Burden (2016) Historian (2018)

Release

On December 12, 2017, Dacus announced the release of her second studio album, alongside the first single from the album "Night Shift".[2] Of the album, Lucy Dacus explained: "This is the album I needed to make. Everything after this is a bonus".[3]

The second single "Addictions" was released on January 16, 2018.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.8/10[5]
Metacritic	82/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
The A.V. Club	B[8]
Chicago Tribune	[9]
DIY	[10]
Mojo	[11]
NME	[12]
Pitchfork	8.1/10[13]
Q	[14]
Rolling Stone	[15]
Uncut	8/10[16]

Historian was met with "universal acclaim" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 82 based on 20 reviews.[6] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 80 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 22 reviews.[17] Marcy Donelson of AllMusic said of the release: "Ultimately, the forte passages don't encroach on the songwriting, as they underline emotion, but they do, at times, step on Dacus' voice, when she's clouded by high-volume accompaniment or even vocal processing. Thankfully, those moments are brief and rare, allowing her lyrics and expressive sense of melody to shine."[7]

Accolades

Accolades for Historian Publication Accolade Rank ABC News Top 50 Albums of 2018 39[18] The Alternative Top 50 Albums of 2018 26[19] The Atlantic Top 23 Albums of 2018 N/A[20] Billboard Top 50 Albums of 2018 – Mid-Year N/A[21] The Bitter Southerner Top 30 Southern Albums of 2018 3[22] BrooklynVegan Top 50 Albums of 2018 27[23] Consequence of Sound Top 50 Albums of 2018 17[24] Top 100 Albums of the Decade (2010s) 55[25] Top 25 Albums of 2018 – Mid-Year 17[26] Top 25 Rock Albums of the 2010s 18[27] Digital Trends Top 50 Albums of 2018 6[28] Double J Top 50 Albums of 2018 35[29] Drift Magazine Top 100 Albums of 2018 64[30] EarBuddy Top 50 Albums of 2018 13[31] Far Out Magazine Top 50 Albums of 2018 25[32] Gothamist Best Albums of 2018 N/A[33] GQ Best Albums of 2018 N/A[34] The Key Top 15 Albums of 2018 9[35] The Line of Best Fit Top 50 Albums of 2018 48[36]

Publication Accolade Rank Noisey Top 100 Albums of 2018 60[37] NPR Music Top 50 Albums of 2018 4[38] Paste Top 50 Albums of 2018 1[39] Top 100 Albums of the Decade (2010s) 20[40] Top 20 Albums of 2018 – Mid-Year 1[41] Piccadilly Records Top 100 Albums of 2018 31[42] Pitchfork Top Rock Albums of 2018 N/A[43] PopMatters Top 70 Albums of 2018 54[44] Top 10 Indie Rock Albums of 2018 10[45] Rolling Stone Top 50 Albums of 2018 17[46] Top 50 Albums of 2018 – Mid-Year N/A[47] Slate Best Albums of 2018 N/A[48] Spectrum Culture Top 20 Albums of 2018 20[49] Sputnikmusic Top 50 Albums of 2018 32[50] Stereogum Top 50 Albums of 2018 13[51] Top 50 Albums of 2018 – Mid-Year 18[52] Thrillist Top 40 Albums of 2018 16[53] The Wild Honey Pie Top 30 Albums of 2018 6[54] Under the Radar Top 100 Albums of 2018 43[55] Uproxx Top 50 Albums of 2018 41[56] Top 50 Albums of 2018 – Mid-Year 12[57]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Night Shift"	6:31
2.	"Addictions"	3:24
3.	"The Shell"	4:37
4.	"Nonbeliever"	3:40
5.	"Yours & Mine"	5:14
6.	"Body to Flame"	3:05
7.	"Timefighter"	5:48
8.	"Next of Kin"	4:06
9.	"Pillar of Truth"	7:14
10.	"Historians"	3:56
Total length:		47:35

Personnel

Musicians Lucy Dacus – primary artist, vocals, producer Jake Finch – drums Miles Huffman – drums John Hulley – trombone Reggie Pace – trombone Sam Koff – trumpet Steve Cunningham – trumpet Ben Plotnick – viola John Mailander – violin

Production Jacob Blizard – producer Collin Pastore – engineer, producer Heba Kadry – mastering Scottie Prudhoe – engineer John Congleton – mixing Preston Cochran – engineer Adrian Olsen – engineer

Charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[58]	39

References

1. Gaca, Anna (December 12, 2017). "Lucy Dacus Announces Sophomore Album Historian; Hear "Night Shift"". Spin. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
2. Day, Laurence (December 12, 2017). "Lucy Dacus has announced second LP Historian, which she says is the record she "needed to make"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
3. "Lucy Dacus Announced New Album". Remote Control Records. December 13, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
4. Day, Laurence (January 16, 2018). "Lucy Dacus directs stunning clip for her new single "Addictions"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
5. "Historian by Lucy Dacus reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
6. "Historian by Lucy Dacus Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
7. Donelson, Marcy. "Historian – Lucy Dacus". AllMusic. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
8. Anthony, David (March 2, 2018). "Lucy Dacus, Historian". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
9. Kot, Greg (March 2, 2018). "Lucy Dacus takes a big leap with 'Historian'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
10. Freedman, Max (March 2, 2018). "Lucy Dacus – Historian". DIY. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
11. Aston, Martin (April 2018). "Lucy Dacus: Historian". Mojo (293): 94.
12. Cooper, Leonie (March 2, 2018). "Lucy Dacus – 'Historian' Review". NME. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
13. Geffen, Sasha (March 6, 2018). "Lucy Dacus: Historian". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
14. Mongredien, Phil (May 2018). "Lucy Dacus: Historian". Q (384): 107.
15. Hopper, Jessica (March 5, 2018). "Review: Lucy Dacus Turns Interior Drama Into Indie-Rock Gold on 'Historian'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
16. Watts, Peter (April 2018). "Lucy Dacus: Historian". Uncut (251): 26.
18. Raible, Alan (December 24, 2018). "50 best albums of 2018, including those from Kacey Musgraves, Ariana Grande and Paul McCartney". ABC News. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
19. "The Alternative's Top 50 Albums of 2018". The Alternative. December 18, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
20. "The 23 Best Albums of 2018". The Atlantic. December 11, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
21. "The 50 Best Albums of 2018 So far". Billboard. June 5, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
22. "Best Southern Albums of 2018". The Bitter Southerner. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
23. "BrooklynVegan's Top 50 Albums of 2018". BrooklynVegan. December 21, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
24. "Top 50 Albums of 2018". Consequence of Sound. December 3, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
25. "The 100 Top Albums of the 2010s". Consequence of Sound. December 30, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
26. "Top 25 Albums of 2018 So Far". Consequence of Sound. June 13, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
27. "Top 20 Rock Albums of the 2010s". Consequence of Sound. November 5, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
28. Hall, Parker (December 12, 2018). "The Best Albums of 2018". Digital Trends. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
29. "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Double J. December 11, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
30. "Drift's Top 100 Albums of 2018". Album of the Year. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
31. "Earbuddy's 50 Best Albums of 2018". Earbuddy. December 18, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
32. Whatley, Jack (December 20, 2018). "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Far Out Magazine. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
33. Yakas, Ben (December 21, 2018). "The Best Albums of 2018". Gothamist. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
34. "GQ's Albums of 2018". GQ. December 13, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
35. Hosjak, Sarah (December 4, 2018). "The Key's Top 15 Albums of 2018". The Key. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
36. "The Best Albums of 2018". The Line of Best Fit. December 8, 2018. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
37. "The 100 Best Albums of 2018". Noisey. Vice. December 6, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
38. "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". NPR Music. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
39. "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Paste. November 26, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
40. "The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s". Paste. October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
41. "The 20 Best Albums of 2018 So Far". Paste. June 12, 2018. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
42. "Piccadilly Records' Top 100 Albums of 2018". Piccadilly Records. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
43. "The Best Rock Albums of 2018". Pitchfork. December 17, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
44. "The 70 Best Albums of 2018". PopMatters. December 20, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
45. Thiessen, Christopher (December 12, 2018). "The 10 Best Indie Rock Albums of 2018". PopMatters. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
46. Dolan, Jon (December 13, 2018). "50 Best Albums of 2018". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
47. Weingarten, Christopher (June 12, 2018). "50 Best Albums of 2018 So Far". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
48. Wilson, Cark (December 12, 2018). "The Best Albums of 2018". Slate. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
49. "Top 20 Albums of 2018". Spectrum Culture. December 13, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
50. Spencer, Trey (December 19, 2018). "Top 50 Albums of 2018". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
51. "The Best Albums of 2018". Stereogum. December 4, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
52. "Best Albums of 2018 So Far". Stereogum. June 6, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
53. Jackson, Dan (December 2, 2018). "Best Albums of 2018". Thrillist. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
54. "Top 30 Albums of 2018". The Wild Honey Pie. December 18, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
55. "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2018". Under the Radar. December 30, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
56. "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Uproxx. December 3, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
57. "50 Best Albums of 2018 So Far". Uproxx. May 29, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
58. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 10, 2019.