Big Thief have announced their new album, Two Hands, due on 11th October through 4AD, and have shared the lead single ‘Not.’
Yes, the band released their third album earlier this year. Yes, this will make two records in one year. It’s U.F.O.F.s “celestial twin – the earth twin.” 30 miles west of El Paso, surrounded by 3,000 acres of pecan orchards and only a stone’s throw from the Mexican border, Big Thief (a.k.a. Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, Max Oleartchik, and James Krivchenia) set up their instruments as close together as possible to capture their most important collection of songs yet. Where U.F.O.F. layered mysterious sounds and effects for levitation, Two Hands grounds itself on dried-out, cracked desert dirt.
“Two Hands has the songs that I’m the most proud of; I can imagine myself singing them when I’m old,”says Adrianne. “Musically and lyrically, you can’t break it down much further than this. It’s already bare-bones.” Lyrically this can be felt in the poetic blur of the internal and external. These are political songs without political language. They explore the collective wounds of our Earth. Abstractions of the personal hint at war, environmental destruction, and the traumas that fuel it. Across the album, there are genuine attempts to point the listener towards the very real dangers that face our planet. When Adrianne sings“Please wake up,” she’s talking directly to the audience.
With raw power and intimacy, Two Hands folds itself gracefully into Big Thief’s impressive discography. This body of work grows deeper and more inspiring with each new album.
Pre-order Big Thief – Two Hands here.
