By Carley-Auna Guy, Contributor

[4AD; 2025]

Rating: 7/10

Key Tracks: “Los Angeles”, “Double Infinity”, “Grandmother”, “How Could I Have Known”

For Adrianne Lenker, a folk rock trailblazer reshaping the language of modern songwriting, creating music is less about producing for the sake of release and more about allowing songs to surface in their own natural time. Lenker sees songwriting as the process of emerging from a mysterious infinity within us; whether it is the subconscious, it’s the imagination or the sense of connection to the universe. The songwriter’s mission is to keep this inner-wellspring open and flowing, allowing its currents of music to move freely, unbound by any obstruction.

Read more: EP Review: NEW YORK – Push

Formed in 2015, Big Thief now functions as a trio with Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek and James Krivchenia, following Max Oleartchik’s departure. Nearly a decade into their career, the band is entering a new chapter of their musical journey — finding new sounds and delivering what many consider a masterpiece with the release of Double Infinity. Big Thief is anchored by Lenker, whose vocals and guitar thread through every track. Meek’s guitar work fills the space with depth and occasional vocals, while James Krivchenia drives the rhythm with drums, layered percussion, synth and his own vocal contributions.

The album’s first single, “Incomprehensible,” was released on June 3, followed by “All Night All Day” on July 9, giving listeners an early glimpse of the album and two good tracks to have on repeat during the summer anticipating the album. On August 5, Big Thief unveiled “Grandmother”, featuring seasoned new age musician Laraaji, alongside “Los Angeles,” exactly one month before the full album dropped on September 5, 2025. While these singles deservedly take most of the spotlight on Double Infinity, the other five songs released have been somewhat underappreciated.   

All nine tracks on Double Infinity run close to or beyond four minutes, bringing the album to nearly 43 minutes long. Over that span, it feels almost like a “try not to cry challenge,” as the songs tug at emotions with unrelenting lyrics and sounds that make us feel. There is no reason to resist tears when music reaches us this deeply. However, the point of music is to feel, and when we allow it to guide our emotions, we discover a deeper connection not only to the songs themselves, but to ourselves.

Listening to Double Infinity requires openness; without it, the beauty and messages in the music can go unnoticed. Many tracks skip conventional beat drops, unfolding instead in hypnotic stretches of guitar and sound. Double Infinity is not an easily digestible record, nor is it meant to be. It presents music that feels alive and profoundly human. The album meditates on what can never be fully captured: love, memory and the infinite within the infinite, resulting in the band’s most experimental work to date.

An underrated track of Double Infinity is “How Could I Have Known,” a gut-wrenching conclusion to an album that holds space for deep self-reflection and exploration. Adrianne Lenker’s tender vocals carry the heartache of lost love, captured in lines like, “And they say time’s the fourth dimension/ they say everything lives and dies/ but our love will live forever/ though today we said goodbye.” Each lyric is moving and raw, resonating on memories of past relationships and the bittersweet pain of missing someone. Its placement closes the album on an unforgettable note.

Music often mirrors the emotions we carry inside. Listeners can choose songs that reflect their current state of mind or music that actively shapes their mood, lifting them up or drawing them deeper. Double Infinity feels like a warm breeze on a quiet, lonely walk across campus in mid-September, or that’s what it is right now, at least.