Lucy Dacus has released a new video for "Planting Tomatoes," featuring her father wandering through a cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. The singer-songwriter directed the video herself, crafting a contemplative montage that captures the landscape of her hometown.
The video pairs intimate imagery with Dacus's introspective songwriting, a hallmark of her approach to visual storytelling. Her father's presence grounds the piece in personal memory and family history, themes that run through much of her work. Dacus has built a reputation for songs rooted in specific place and time, drawing from her own life and relationships with surgical precision.
"Planting Tomatoes" continues Dacus's exploration of domestic life and generational connection. The Richmond setting reinforces her consistent focus on regional identity and how our surroundings shape our inner lives. Her self-directed video work demonstrates her investment in controlling the entire artistic vision, from composition to final cut.
Dacus released her debut album "Home Video" in 2021 to critical acclaim, establishing her as one of contemporary folk music's sharpest lyricists. She followed with "Bright Future" in 2023, consolidating her position as a major voice in Americana and singer-songwriter circles. Her videos typically eschew flashy production in favor of naturalistic settings and emotional clarity, letting her songwriting and voice carry the weight.
The cemetery walk in this new video adds layers of symbolism to lyrics about growth, legacy, and what we leave behind. By placing her father in the frame, Dacus transforms a private meditation into a multigenerational statement about how we inherit and preserve memory.