Review: Big Thief - Double Infinity

Double Infinity is so enthralling and impactful, by the end you won’t know whether to smile or cry.

Not many artists have been quite as prolific and consistent as Big Thief over the past decade. From aptly named 2016 debut Masterpiece to 2022’s ambitious Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, the New York indie folksters have produced some of the most beautiful and celebrated alternative music of late as evidenced by multiple Grammy Award nominations and an Album of the Year win, in 2020, for U.F.O.F.

A three-year album gap has therefore built quite the anticipation for number six. As predicted, Double Infinity finds them at the top of their game once more: beautiful folk twinged indie songs, intricately crafted and introspective with a unique emotional pull.

Big Thief’s latest was produced by long-time collaborator Dom Monks over a three-week period last winter at Power Station Studio in New York and is their first as a trio following the departure of bassist Max Oleartchik. With a host of collaborators brought in to assist, Double Infinity has Big Thief as sentimental and ear-catching as ever.

Of course, these wonderful melodies are carried by the vulnerability and intensity of singer Adrianne Lenker. Her earnest vocal performance greets us like a warm hug on a cold day. On cathartic atmospheric opener ‘Incomprehensive’ Lenker weighs up ageing against an everlasting world for the perfect starting point: “In two days it's my birthday and I'll be 33, that doesn't really matter next to eternity,” she ponders.

‘Words’ is similarly gorgeous - electronic twinges and subtle Afro-beat influences edge the track into experimental rock territory to aide Lenker’s “self-conscious” contemplations. The title track, on the other hand, has her deliver a performance spine-tingling and tender, while there’s a gentle infectiousness to 6 Music mainstay ‘Los Angeles’: a breezy, feel-good indie-folk anthem with the singer reconciling with an old friend.

Not that things are kept entirely warm. Big Thief take a detour into detached and expansive soundscapes on the 7-minute ‘No Fear’.  A couple of tracks later and we’re back to familiar ground on ‘Happy with You’. Its groovy bassline and repeated “happy with you, why do I need to explain myself” mantra offers a delightfully simple and earwormy pop high point.

There’s an emotive authenticity to Big Thief that grows more powerful with each wonderful release. And Double Infinity is so enthralling and impactful, by the end you won’t know whether to smile or cry.

8/10