Indie-folk rock darlings Big Thief’s newest record, “Double Infinity,” takes their fans’ feet from planted on the ground to a cosmic journey through the future, present and past. If you like folk-rock and shooting stars, this album is for you.
“Double Infinity” is Big Thief’s first album as a trio since bassist Max Olearchik left in 2024. Following the high praise of “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You,” many wondered where Big Thief would go next, especially with the band’s new line-up. Some songs, like my personal favorite, “Los Angeles,” echo the composition of prior Big Thief work, led by acoustic guitar. But on “Double Infinity,” the lead vocalist Adrianne Lenker, guitarist Buck Meek and drummer James Krivchenia guide their sound into a happier, more psychedelic place than the band’s previous records.
Lenker’s songwriting is as poised as ever, simplifying large ideas of nostalgia and love into bite-sized therapeutic lines. The first song and lead single for the album, “Incomprehensible,” is an especially strong track where Lenker comforts both the listener and herself as she faces the fear of aging: “In two days it’s my birthday and I’ll be 33 / That doesn’t really matter next to eternity.” She laments how our culture shrouds aging in negativity, and the idea that we don’t have enough time. “Incomprehensible” is vulnerable yet steady song, as Lenker basks in the freedom that comes with accepting who you are and who you will become. “So let gravity be my sculptor, let the wind do my hair, let me dance in front of people without a care,” she wrote. Despite the impossibility of being fully prepared for the passage of time, she leans into the inevitable.
Both sonically and lyrically, Big Thief extrapolates a moment into a lifetime of meaning. Another stand-out track, “Grandmother,” describes the enduring nature of passion, even beyond time. In the first verse, Lenker reminisces on simple moments, “dancing at the bar, kissing in our car.” In the next, she discredits the desire to cling to these memories: “It’s alright, everything that happened, happened, so what’s the use of holding?” The instrumentals build over the course of the six-minute song, gradually adding heavier drums and shimmers of texture to take on a more atmospheric sound. Featured artist Laraaji accompanies Lenker, singing and at times belting a melody that rolls in and out like the tide. The core of the song is Lenker’s refrain “Gonna turn it all into rock and roll.” Depositing the past firmly in the rearview mirror, Lenker is unwavering in her objective: to create and enjoy.
Only a few songs on this release follow a linear narrative and often have nearly nonsensical poetic lyrics. “Double Infinity” is less directed than their other projects and may seem aimless at times, but the approach gives the album an almost endless feeling. Rhythmic acoustic guitar and drums backed by what sounds like crystals allow for an existential exploration. The songs are expansive and therapeutic without being prescriptive.
Big Thief, sonically at the crossroads of the universe, isn’t scared of the future.
