Brooklyn, New York’s Big Thief just released a new album after a hiatus of nearly three years, and they’ve struck gold yet again. Adrianne Lenker’s sentimental lyricism and warbly vocals combine with droning folk instrumentals to create a meditative experience without skips.
Double Infinity (2025) is Big Thief’s sixth full-length project. Personnel on this album has changed slightly from their previous projects, with this being the first album without bassist Max Oleartchik. Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, and James Krivchenia recorded this album over three weeks in New York City, and numerous other artists came to assist in the record’s creation. A notable collaboration on Double Infinity comes from Laraaji, who provides zither and vocals on “Grandmother.” When I first listened to “Incomprehensible,” the first track on this album, I didn’t like it. It came across as a basic, uninteresting, and bland song for the band. I had held this preconceived notion of Big Thief being a stripped-back folk band, but that idea was shattered when I listened to their newest project. Double Infinity is an extraordinarily versatile and beautiful album.
My first real listen-through of Double Infinity was on a rainy day. The leaves were green as can be, and I felt a deep pit of despair in my heart because I had to go to the library and study. When I listened, however, that pit did not disappear, but it wasn’t alone. I felt both devastated and elated, and all I could think about is how each song flowed perfectly into the next and how each story contained an exciting new revelation.
I find it hard to listen to lyrics and instrumentals while at the same time comprehending what I’m hearing. But something about the soft vocals and warm production made the storytelling feel like a conversation I couldn’t help listening to. The idea of the road trip plays a crucial role in the album’s storytelling. I grew up in New Mexico, where road trips can lead you to any biome imaginable. This album reminded me of the beautiful green mountains, vast deserts with rivers snaking through the canyons, and red rock formations too crimson to comprehend. Double Infinity embodies the freedom of a road trip with people you love; with lyrics describing a scenic motor trek through Arizona and California, it’s impossible not to imagine music blasting, windows rolled all the way down, and not a care on anybody’s mind.
This album was almost a no-skipper for me. Some songs that stood out to me were “No Fear,” “Happy With You,” and “How Could I Have Known.” “No Fear” seems repetitive at first, but that’s the point. There aren’t many lyrics in this song, creating a chantlike feel. The bassline and percussion start the song, messing with your brain before you can grasp the groove rhythm of the song. The drums surround you, creating a drum circle in your headphones. The bass holds the melody for the majority of the song, while the guitar provides texture, holding back from the spotlight to complement the bass. Throughout the album, Big Thief uses instruments to create sound textures that fill up the track and eliminate any emptiness that might lurk in the corners. The record’s instrumentation sounds less like many instruments played simultaneously and more like one instrument with many distinct roles.
The stand out track, “No Fear,” leads the album in lyricism. The song discusses emptiness but seems so full. “There is nowhere, no table, no chair, no country / There is no face that isn’t in your face that I see” is such an expert line because it takes time to realize Lenker is talking about someone she loves. At first listen, it seems like she is just talking about feeling empty in a world full of tangible things. However, after thinking about it, it becomes clear that she is talking about seeing everything that’s ever existed in the person she loves. Another unforgettable lyric is “There is no time, round like a lime, destiny.” This hearkens back to the album cover, a lime with a thin rind around it, resembling a planet with many rings. Although the meaning of the lime metaphor remains unclear, its ambiguity only contributes to its significance. Maybe this phrase just adds to the ethereal aesthetic of the album, which I thoroughly enjoy.
Despite being a phenomenal album, every LP has to have one weak link, and, for me, that song was “Words.” I found it too literal and a bit unnecessary. On the song, one of the lyrics that I couldn’t get past was “Words don’t make sense.” The simplicity just seemed like an unwelcome detour from the great lyricism of the rest of the album. What happened to driving through the mystic American West, finding infinite faces in the person you love, and connecting with your grandmother? Alongside the mediocre lyrics were instrumentals that felt completely out-of-place with the laid back, unassuming, and just plain groovy vibe of the album. Right after the first chorus, a startling guitar line roughly stumbles in. It’s at the front of the mix, blaring jangly chords that sound like a shaky attempt at chicken pickin’, a guitar technique used famously by Dire Straits. It’s hard to say this as a guitar player, but the guitar part in this tune was uncalled for. Personally, I will not be returning to this song, but the rest of the album has been running on repeat in my earbuds all week.
The journey of Double Infinity is mesmerizing and unforgettable. At the end of the road trip, I could not wait for the next time I heard the album. Every song but “Words” went on my playlist that gets longer every day, and I’ve been reminiscing on that first magical listen. I encourage you to listen to this album when things aren’t going your way. If you’re having a tough day or not feeling like yourself, take a step back, give yourself up to the lyrics and the instrumentals, and let Big Thief into your life.
Voice’s Choices: “No Fear,” “Happy With You,” “How Could I Have Known”
