Who could have predicted a Big Thief record opening with a sparkling synth in 2025? Perhaps it’s not too surprising, given how the cult indie rockers have straddled the earthly and the spiritual since their formation in 2015. Songwriter and frontwoman Adrienne Lenker has a knack for articulating little truths that surpass the mundane into some universal gospel – and on sixth album ‘Double Infinity’, that’s taken to its limit.
Turning to new age and transcendental influences, Big Thief expand their sound like never before on ‘Double Infinity’. On the heels of their longtime bassist Max Oleartchik’s departure, the band open their doors to brand-new collaborators, including ambient legend Laraaji and close friends June McDoom, Alena Spenger and Hannah Cohen. The result? An album rich in harmony, new connections and endless possibilities, all without losing their trademark intimacy.
The most challenging – and ballsy – aspect of this record is its repetitive elements. ‘Happy With You’ sees the band recite three simple lines: “I’m happy with you / Why do I need to explain myself? / Poison shame”. It sounds intimidating, but the bouncing bassline groove and choir of Lenker’s collaborators make the song infectiously joyful, and those three lines become a sweltering, powerful mantra. The same can’t be said for ‘No Fear’, which attempts its own repeated incantation – but its understated arrangement fails to imbue its verse with the same force as ‘Happy With You’.
Big Thief retain their remarkable clarity and openness on many of the tracks on ‘Double Infinity’. ‘Incomprehensible’ is peppered with Lenker’s sweet observations on physically aging, at odds with what society says about getting older: “The message spirals, don’t get saggy, don’t get gray / But the soft and lovely silvers are now falling on my shoulder”. This even applies, somewhat ironically, to ‘Words’ – a song labouring the futility of language against a creaking, agitated guitar solo.
For some, Big Thief’s appeal is their cozy, fire-pit dynamic, but ‘Double Infinity’ and its newfound network makes the record sound so much fuller and richer. Just think of the laughs that open ‘Los Angeles’, giving way to these grand, sweeping guitars, or closer ‘How Could I Have Known?’, which narrates the before and after of a devastating loss. As Lenker admits that “I was alone in that moment / When I first met you”, a choir of her collaborators surrounds her voice, chanting the final verse alongside her in a moment of collective strength.
For everything Big Thief have seemingly lost, there’s so much they’ve gained on this record. ‘Double Infinity’ is a surprisingly classy blend of two disparate genres, one that pushes the boundaries of what Big Thief sounds like – all while preserving the introspective soul that shot them to fame in the first place.
