Refreshing folk trio Big Thief has gone from one of the genre’s most beloved members to a global, experimental force. What started as raw intimacy has blossomed into daring, folksy ventures that are warm and inviting. The band’s true range emerged on their monstrous 2022 LP, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, the 20-song, Grammy-nominated modern marvel that amazed long-time fans and introduced Big Thief to the blinding light of pop culture. The band’s success felt natural and came with nearly no complaints from the underground folk community. So with the love of critics, an adoring fan base, and commercial success under their belt, what is Big Thief to do? The trio’s answer: Burn it all down.
Double Infinity, the highly anticipated follow-up to Big Thief’s commercial breakthrough, was born out of freedom. The core trio, consisting of Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, and James Krivchenia, teamed up with a cast of musicians, including the legendary Laraaji, at a warm studio in New York City and played for hours at a time. These nine songs are a result of these sessions, and the improvisation and community are palpable throughout this album. Without losing touch with their folk roots, Big Thief expands on their visions for the future of the genre. Their blueprint for folk music is clear: more feeling than thinking, pair vivid imagery and storytelling with heart-touching emotions, and a larger sonic terrain to work with. All this, and the band still manages to maintain a welcoming atmosphere, making Double Infinity feel like a piece of Americana from the future.
There is a delicate balance at play across Big Thief’s latest release. With Lenker anchoring the performances down with honest, personal songwriting that brings us closer to the elusive artist, the band is free to roam from swaying folk-rock to electronic bliss. What makes Double Infinity feel so natural is not the experimentation; it’s how the band connected their many musical trips to different realms. Even with massive leaps, like listening to the breezy grooves and soulful vocals of “All Night All Day” transition into the moody atmosphere of the title track, the band never falls victim to sounding forced or clunky. Double Infinity plays like a conversation between old friends, and ironically, that’s precisely how Big Thief achieved such a feat.
With the stressors of success in modern music seemingly rolling off the band’s shoulders, they shed all the noise in place of collaboration. Double Infinity is the kind of album that can only be achieved with zero ego involved, as Lenker’s vocals hold the rest of the band’s hand through psychedelic undertones and hints of jazz. Moments like “No Fear” and the lovely ballad “Grandmother” carry an ambiance to them that proves to emphasize the poetic, vulnerable songwriting.
The marriage of the band’s reflective songwriting and the soaring experimentation of the arrangement proves to be a winning formula, as exemplified on touching moments like the wistful, chugging “Words,” or the warped album opener, “Incomprehensible.” Double Infinity stays true to its name by coming full circle by closing with rocking Americana anthems “Happy With You” and “How Could I Have Known,” almost as if Big Thief is reminding us that, even through their unpredictable artistic evolution, they always keep a road to home.
