Lucy Dacus Returns to Her High School for NPR ‘Tiny Desk Concert’

Lucy Dacus sat behind an actual tiny desk for her NPR Tiny Desk Concert appearance, filmed at her high school alma mater, Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School in Richmond, Virginia.

With her band — which includes two of her former classmates, guitarist Jacob Blizard and audio engineer Collin Pastore — Dacus played through several songs from her latest album Home Video, kicking off with “Brando” and following it up with “VBS.” (“It means vacation Bible school, for all you heathen folks,” she quipped.)

After a short transition into “Going Going Gone,” the band left the room for Dacus to perform the grim album cut “Thumbs,” in which she fantasizes about murdering a friend’s estranged father. “It might be tough to hear — it’s just a warning,” Dacus said before performing. “If you don’t wanna listen to it, turn this video off.”

Dacus released Home Video, her third album, last month. The majority of it was recorded prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, with Dacus using the lockdown as an extended means to mix the album. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Dacus talked about her eagerness to return to a post-pandemic life.

“I’m just going to go everywhere and hug everyone that I love,” Dacus says. “I’m not much for going to clubs, but I want to go to the sweatiest, nastiest club, and dance for so long. I hate shopping, but I want to go to a shopping mall and try stuff on and get a smoothie.”