Courtesy of Genesis Baez
After three years of hiatus, renowned band Big Thief returned to the indie music scene with the release of their sixth album, “Double Infinity,” which strays from their celebrated intimate folk sound. Instead, the band leans into expansive orchestral, synth and percussion backings that, at moments, tend to lack harmony. The back tracks feel supplemental for the hole left in the band after bassist Max Oleartchik’s exit, leaving the band a trio.
After much fan speculation from the public that Oleartchik’s departure was related to political differences, the band’s lead singer and guitarist Adrianne Lenker rebuked this in an interview with Pitchfork magazine.
“We have reasons that are personal and deep. We had a loving 10-year working relationship. We went through so much together, and there’s no way to cheapen it … There’s things between us as individuals that meant we were no longer growing as a unit,” Lenker said.
The speculation came after the cancellation of two shows scheduled in Tel Aviv, where Oleartchik grew up, and the quick release of a statement regarding his exit. In the same Pitchfork interview, the band reiterated their anti-genocide stance.
As denoted by the album title, “Double Infinity” explores the balance between life and death, rebirth, past and present. The sound of the album is certainly a rebirth for the band in which they expanded to collaborate with 10 guest artists, including well known composer Laraaji, who is featured explicitly on the track “Grandmother.” In the first verse of “Grandmother,” the lyrics acknowledge life as ever changing, “It’s been strange, dancing at the bar / Kissing in our car, standing in the stadium / Knowing soon there’ll be no bar / No car, no stadium.” Change is inevitable, whether it is the change of aging or the loss of a band member, Big Thief does what they do best and they “turn it all into rock and roll.”
Big Thief’s trademark sound on their previous five albums has been that of simplicity and rawness, which draws on the complexities and inherent messiness of the human experience. The intimacy between the band members is unparalleled as Lenker and guitarist Buck Meek married and divorced, all the while continuing to produce music. Simplicity would not describe “Double Infinity.” Rather, the sounds tend to be convoluted after being over-layered.
Thematically, “Double Infinity” maintains Big Thief’s commitment to capturing the realities of love and life, articulating them wondrously through Lenker’s lyricism. In the opening track “Incomprehensible,” Lenker delves into the societal pressures women face as they age. “‘I’m afraid of getting older,’ that’s what I’ve learned to say / Society has given me the words to think that way / The message spirals, ‘Don’t get saggy, don’t get grey’/ But the soft and lovely silvers are now falling on my shoulder,” she sings.
Lenker transforms the experience of aging from something distasteful into something beautiful, deeming silver hair “soft and lovely.” However, the serene lyrics clash with the experimental instruments that overpower Lenker’s voice, making it difficult to decide what to dedicate attention to.
The songs from Big Thief’s first album “Masterpiece” are also narratives, following the long tradition of folk and Americana music from which they carve their niche. Despite this, “Happy with You,” the eighth song on “Double Infinity” repeats only three lines of lyrics for the entire four minutes and 26 seconds. “Happy with you / Why do I need to explain myself? / Poison shame.” Simple lyrics are not surprising from Lenker, but here there is an absence of depth. Considering many recognize Lenker as one of the most talented lyricists in recent memory, “Happy with You” falls short of that recognition.
Another departure from the band’s typical sound is found on the track “No Fear.” Sonically, it resembles 1990s shoegaze and alt-rock classics such as “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star, a stark contrast from their famed folk songs such as “Velvet Ring” and “Certainty.” Rhythmically, it creates a hypnotic dazed sensation, as if hearing it in pitch black room engulfed by the sound.
Again, the lyrics fail to tell a story, an aspect associated with Lenker’s past songs, though they are more intriguing than “Happy with You.” Similarly, both songs praise being present and content with what already exists Lenker expresses in “No Fear”: “Thеre is no time, round like a lime, destiny / There is nowhere, no table, no chair, no country / There is no face that isn’t in your face, there to see.”
Perhaps the most transcendent song on the album is the title track. It manages to capture the essence of the band while acquiescing to the fact that the past cannot be returned to. The song “Double Infinity” is a return to the basics for the band — simple and raw, demonstrating Lenker’s talent for story-telling through her lyrics. She depicts love as the only constant of life, “Deep within the center of / The picture is the one I love / The eye behind the essence / Still unmovable, unchanging.” It is a strong reminder of the band’s capability to reach into the depths of their emotions and convey them universally in a way that is uniquely, recognizably Big Thief.
At the center of the track “Double Infinity,” the band acknowledges where they stand: “At the bridge of two infinities / What’s been lost and what lies waiting.” The Big Thief of the past nine years has certainly been lost with Oleartchik, but it remains to be seen in what direction the trio will continue after this album.
7/10
