Released Sept. 5, Big Thief’s newest project, “Double Infinity,” treats listeners to cascading rhythms and pared-down poetics. The release — a celebration of everyday life — is a powerful testament to the band’s enduring creative energy. Unflinching and sincere, Big Thief approaches their sixth studio album in full color.
With a runtime of just over 40 minutes, “Double Infinity” is concise, clear and honest. The album’s cover — a striking green lime against a black background — marks a change in aesthetic from the faded, sketchy photographs that characterized their previous albums.
Despite their new look, “Double Infinity” continues Big Thief’s genre-defying style. The album effortlessly drifts from electronic and vocal swoops on “Grandmother” to a play on traditional folk music in “How Could I Have Known” — all the while preserving the band’s use of multilayered and unconventional percussion.
On “Double Infinity,” these rhythms are fully realized, as seen in the controlled cacophony of the album’s second track, “Words.” Big Thief’s percussion, accompanied by shimmering sound effects, grants an otherworldly quality to their work.
Adrianne Lenker, Big Thief’s lead singer and primary songwriter, offers unfailingly unique reflections on love and aging. Lenker’s voice, raw and lilting, is the ideal medium for delivering lyrics in heartbreaking detail that feel like a window straight into her soul. “Los Angeles, 3:33, nothing on the stereo / Dirty tea, you’re like the Mona Lisa,” Lenker sings on “Los Angeles.”
But Lenker also finds power in simplicity. Throughout the four-and-a-half minute song “Happy With You,” she sings only three lines, over and over. Lenker knows that love can be complicated and deeply personal. She knows that artists have tried to describe it for centuries, and she also knows that there are infinite expressions for love. But sometimes, all you need is one phrase. And in the case of “Happy With You,” sometimes you need it 44 times.
At only nine tracks long, “Double Infinity” is less than half the length of the band’s previous album, “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You.” But the album displays no less depth and breadth of emotion. Lenker’s strikingly original songwriting brings definition to each track on the album and prevents it from feeling overproduced with its intricate sonic layering.
Big Thief approaches this latest release with freshness and maturity. With the band now comfortable in the studio, “Double Infinity” offers audiences a glimpse into a future still rich with promise.
