Ever since the summer of boygenius ended and an inevitably long – potentially permanent – hiatus began over a year ago, fans have been patiently waiting for new solo work from any of the three. On Jan. 15, those fans lucked out with a new release from Lucy Dacus and the promise of a new album at the end of March.
With the start of a fresh semester and temperatures averaging numbing, glacial and frigid, Lucy has flown in with “Ankles,” a single perfect for those who need to ponder while they trudge across campus.
“What if we don’t touch?/
What if we only talk /
About what we want and cannot have?”
“Ankles” is a journey. It warily crosses lines and boundaries, slowly peeking out of its shell, ready to bear its soul to you. It speaks of those relationships that sit unsure and thoughts that stay unspoken.
In the music video, Bottoms star Havana Rose Liu, a museum security guard, discovers a disheveled Lucy, seemingly lost. Although lost, Lucy has this sort of wonder and magic to her, almost like she fell out of a fairytale. Adorning an extravagant ruby red dress, Lucy is guided through the streets of Paris back to her proper home.
“Agent of chaos, angel of death /
One of three ancient fates /
Playing with your scissors again”
While I wish the three ancient fates she references were Phoebe, Julien and her, the real fates of this line are those from Greek mythology. These fates are representations of human destiny. The first fate, Clotho, is the spinner who creates the thread. Lachesis, the second, is the allotter who decides and measures the thread, and Atropos, is the inevitable. Atropos cuts the thread, sealing your fate.
Although the three ancient fates are typically seen as those deciding human lifespan, their role and decided destiny could be filtered over so many more aspects of life. In this case, I perceive them more to be choosing the length of a relationship. The relationship in this song is undecided. There are still lines to be crossed and desires to be spoken, so Lucy speaks of this person as her Atropos — playing with the scissors and cementing the relationship’s destiny.
As the days miraculously get colder and the snow continues to fall, many of us may be thinking a little more deeply than usual. But with that, the snow will eventually melt, the flowers will begin to flourish and the uncertainties can slowly but surely wash away. If you’re, like me, relating to the security guard right now, defenses up and gloomy, just know a royal revival is on its way. Someday soon, you too will feel like complete royalty.