Just in time for Valentine’s Day, indie-rock princess Lucy Dacus released a music video for her song “Best Guess” on Feb. 10. The song is incredibly romantic, endearing and is all around perfect for anyone who loves to gamble (metaphorically).
Known most recently for her musical endeavors as a member in indie-rock supergroup Boygenius, Dacus released the track as a teaser for her upcoming solo album “Forever is a Feeling,” along with two other songs, “Ankles” and “Limerence.” After the beautiful emotional turmoil that Boygenius’ “The Record” had on me, “Best Guess” is a refreshingly positive and light track.
Highlighted by an upbeat acoustic guitar and a steady snare beat, Dacus’ voice carries like velvet through speakers, with harmonies that make you feel a bit warmer inside. The lyrics only make that feeling even more fuzzy.
In the first verse, Dacus sings of a relationship that she believes is her “best guess” at the future and reminisces on a time that hasn’t yet arrived. She makes it clear that her love will extend into the unknown with the lyrics “I love your body/I love your mind/They will change/So will mine.”
Nothing is better than finding a person that feels like home. The bridge of the song boasts one of my favorite lines, where Dacus sings, “You are my pack a day/You are my favorite place.” I don’t think that there’s anything more romantic or representative of being in love than the feeling of constant home-like comfort with your partner, no matter where you are.
The chorus, which contains the song’s namesake, speaks to the main message of the song: that Dacus is willing to bet that her future will be spent with this person. She explains this message very clearly with the lines “If I were a gambling man, and I am/You’d be my best bet.” I hope you get dealt a good hand, Lucy.
In my opinion, “Best Guess” was a perfect addition to the other tracks that Dacus put out to tease her new album. It balances the emotional vulnerability of “Limerence” and sensuality of “Ankles” with a romantic and peppy in-between. The song seems well liked by fans so far. However, the same cannot be said for the song’s corresponding music video.
The music video for “Best Guess” was released on Feb. 10, and it featured a cast of several media-prominent “masc lesbians” including Towa Bird, Cara Delevigne, E.R. Fightmaster, Naomi McPherson and more. The vibe is very reminiscent of 90’s Calvin Klein ads, and it seems to feature all of the cast indulging in Dacus’ attention.
Dacus first debuted “Best Guess” during her performance as a special guest at Julien Baker’s concert back in October, so its release has been long awaited by fans. Similarly, the music video was also highly anticipated, as its casting was announced through social media.
Dacus held an open casting through TikTok, where she called upon any ‘hot mascs’ to post a video of themselves using her audio and tag so that she could sort through the crowd. At least hundreds of fans participated in this trend, including masc lesbians of many different ethnicities, so the non-white queer community was rightfully disappointed when the majority of the video’s cast turned out to be white.
Originally met with praise from big music magazines, the music video has received many comments and expressions of frustration and disappointment from POC. Many have taken to social media to express their grievances and have even commented on the accounts of some of the cast members.
In a TikTok posted by one of the cast members, Drew Hermes, the cast lines up for the camera in their suits. Hermes captioned the video “lucy dacus ended the masc shortage,” and fans were not happy. The comments overflowed with frustrations concerning the lack of diversity among the cast. For a music video meant to bring a sense of togetherness to a minority group, it left many members of the community feeling more excluded than ever.
As of now, neither Dacus nor the cast of the music video have commented on the upset.
Ava Hebenstreit can be reached at [email protected]
