RILEY RAINS / ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Big Thief gifted their fans a new album, “Double Infinity,” on Sept. 5 — an addition to their discography that has sparked conversation. The 42 minute album includes a collection of memories, nostalgia and warmth that are distinctly different from past releases. 

Prior to the release of “Double Infinity,” the band was infamous for Adrianne Lenker’s soothing voice and an acoustic guitar, sounding smooth as butter. Lenker is a part of Big Thief, and also writes her own singles – many of which have gained serious traction in the past couple of years. 

USD sophomore Leila Nuri, a bassist in the Slow Tide band who works for USD Radio, enjoyed Lenker’s skills.

“I think that Adrianne Lenker’s lyricism adds a layer of depth that’s so incomprehensible,” Nuri exclaimed. “She’s literally a poet.”

But while recording the new album, founding bassist Max Oleatchik abruptly left the group, leaving the three remaining members to lean into a new type of sound. The songs forming the basis of “Double Infinity” transport the listener into a deep feeling rather than telling a story. The most prevalent theme of the album explores the passage of time and the human experience of love. After three weeks of sessions in Power Station studio in Manhattan, Big Thief curated a masterpiece   written in the biting winter — one member down. 

Big Thief’s ‘Double Infinity’ album cover. Photo courtesy of @bigthiefmusic/Instagram

The album contains a feature with Laraaji, an 82 year old multi-instrumentalist. He specializes in    piano, zither  and mbira. In “Double Infinity,” he contributed electronics, zither and intuitive vocal melodies to the songs “Los Angeles” and “Grandmother.” His skill set is what makes the album sound so vastly different from the rest of Big Thief’s discography. The techno sounds have an effect that isn’t missed by fans. 

Laraagi laughing in Power Station Studio with the Big Thief band. Photo courtesy of @bigthiefmusic/Instagram

USD sophomore Isabella Masewicz appreciated Big Thief’s first song, “Incomprehensible,” and Laraaji musical effects.

“It has a really chill vibe,” Masewicz shared. “I’ve been really into rock right now, like soft rock. The guitar and the techno sound is unique and it’s super    cool. It’s good background music, very indie vibes.”

Nuri agreed with Masewicz’s take. 

“I think the instrumentals are really good, it really adds a whimsical feeling to their new album,” Nuri said. “The whole album is just like very much the usual style but different enough that it adds something new to their you know discography.”

Famous YouTube music Critic  Ithony Seetano offered his thoughts in a written review of “Double Infinity” on The Needle Drop, his YouTube channel. 

“Big Thief has several different musical modes, and this track  is not one of my favorite of them,” Seetano stated. “This loose, spacy, indie rock with very repetitive lyrics. Everything instrumentally and sonically feels like a half measure, even Adrian’s vocal delivery to an extent. Is the band trying to make the track unlistenable?”

The   repetitive   language that Seetano is referring to is most likely  “Incomprehensible,” the album’s first track, which surrounds a narrative about society’s tendency to teach self-hate. The song repeats the word “incomprehensible” multiple times in between lyrics, encouraging listeners to shed prescriptive ways of living and viewing ourselves. The constant repetition is a new strategy for Big Thief — something that tracks with this exploratory album.

Nuri enjoyed “Incomprehensible,” and offered a short reflection on her experience in listening. 

“I think that their song ‘Incomprehensible’ off of the new album is really good,” Nuri explained. “This is gonna sound really cheesy, but whenever I was outside at my house, I was listening to the new album and there were these yellow butterflies next to me and the song sounded like the yellow butterflies.”

Nuri isn’t the only Big Thief fan. “Double Infinity” has multiple songs currently trending on TikTok. The song “Incomprehensible” has just under six thousand videos posted. Some   more   of  Big   Thief’s popular songs, like “Velvet Ring” and “Simulation Swarm” have a   collective 150,000 videos. Masewicz shared her opinion on social media’s effect in the music industry.

“‘Velvet Ring’ and ‘Simulation Swarm’ are some of my favorites from them. I like the ‘Masterpiece’ album,” Masewicz said. “But I feel like in general, trending music does suck. It doesn’t ruin the music, but it ruins exploring your own music taste.”

Nuri offered her unique perspective as someone in an active band. 

“I think that Tiktok has turned into a new platform for musicians to grow,” Nuri explained. “However, I think that a lot of them their way to popularize is like ‘I sound like this artist XYZ,’ rather than building on their own work.”

It is undeniable that platforms like TikTok have promoted and popularized much of modern music, Big Thief’s “Double Infinity” being no exception. 

With “Double Infinity,” Big Thief delivers an album that pushes the boundaries of their familiar sound. The record represents a turning point in the band’s evolution, whether it’s being met with critiques, celebration or both. As listeners continue to debate its place within Big Thief’s discography, the album exemplifies the band’s commitment to growth — even when it means exploring with ‘No Fear.’

Big Thief’s ‘Double Infinity’ album cover. Photo courtesy of @bigthiefmusic/Instagram