Collin Pastore (left) and Jake Finch
When was the last time you read through the credits of a record you love? With the rise of streaming’s on-demand take on listening, most listeners probably know the names of only the artists they listen to. Some artists create entire albums with no outside input; that’s increasingly feasible with advances in music-making technology. But in many cases, it takes session players and/or band members, background vocalists, engineers and producers to make an artist’s signature sound come to life.
When lauded singer-songwriter and boygenius member Lucy Dacus’ new album Forever Is a Feeling comes out on Friday, detail-oriented listeners might notice a couple of familiar names in the liner notes. Dacus’ longtime friends and collaborators Collin Pastore and Jake Finch, based in Nashville, continued a storied creative partnership by producing several songs on the album.
Pastore met Dacus in high school in their home state of Virginia, and they’ve kept making music together. Pastore has produced each of Dacus’ full-length records and EPs, starting with her 2016 debut No Burden. They created a lush, spacious and gentle indie-rock sound that expertly complements her lyrics. During the recording of 2018’s Historian, the last-minute need for a drummer led the duo to bring in Finch, and he’s been a part of the team ever since.
Dacus and company tread new territory with Forever Is a Feeling. Dacus expanded her production circle beyond Finch and Pastore, reaching out to the likes of Blake Mills and Bartees Strange. Finch and Pastore remain the sole producers on “Big Deal” and “Lost Time,” which bookend the album, and provide additional production on several other songs. Finch jokingly refers to this record as their “musical Oreo.”
Beyond a rare single, this is the first time Dacus has tried her hand at love songs. And be warned — they have just as much seismic impact as her ruminations on heartbreak and aging. Dacus keeps her private life mostly … well, private, but some experiences are so powerful they seep into everything you do. That’s the case here: In a recent profile in The New Yorker, Dacus confirmed her long-rumored relationship with boygenius bandmate Julien Baker. Even if she hadn’t said anything, most listeners would surely have guessed. Beyond the clear references — including a rollicking love song addressed to “the most wanted man in West Tennessee” — Dacus’ infectious joy shines through much of the record.
While the subject matter and sound are a departure from her previous work, Forever Is a Feeling maintains a through line with its predecessors. Beyond Dacus’ signature poetry and devastating vocals, Pastore describes the new record as having the same “heart memory.”
“We went to L.A. to hang out with her — she played a show at The Wiltern and we went to dinner afterwards,” Pastore recalls. “And she was like, ‘Guys, I think I’m writing a love album. … I want it to be full of strings and romantic feeling.’ So that was sort of the mindset coming in for that. We knew that she wanted it to be grand and, you know, all that stuff. So we pulled out a cello, and — I think the strings are mostly Jake, actually.”
Forever is not a straightforward take on romance though. Like real love, it’s messy and complicated. On “Big Deal,” Dacus sings of confessing feelings with someone in a committed relationship and the trepidation of knowing that starting something new would mean breaking something else. There are really two threads woven in the record, one of an old relationship ending and another of a new one blossoming. It’s awkward at times, outwardly horny at others, but overall beautifully heart-wrenching.
“Leave it to Lucy to write the most challenging love song,” Finch says.
When they aren’t in the studio with Dacus, Finch and Pastore work with hosts of other talented artists; some locals include Katie Pruitt (whose Mantras was one of Scene critics’ top records of 2024), Molly Martin and Ashe. They hope to keep working with their friends while getting on board with artists who are just starting out too.
The basis of the Dacus-Finch-Pastore working relationship is pure friendship. They don’t find it hard to balance the two, because at the end of the day, they are one another’s proudest supporters.
“For me, it all comes down to just respect,” says Finch. “Everyone is just a person making something, but when you’re friends with creatives, everyone’s making something. And it’s like, just mad appreciation for people who continue to make great shit.”
