Big Thief are set to return in February with “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You”, their fifth studio album and their first full-length effort since 2019’s stunning pair “U.F.O.F” and “Two Hands“. Produced by James Krivchenka, the band’s drummer, the 20-song double LP was recorded in four distinct locations: Upstate New York, Topanga Canyon in California, the Arizona desert, and the Colorado mountains.
Big Thief have shared yet another single off their upcoming 20-track album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, which is due to release on Feb. 11, 2022. The track is titled “Simulation Swarm” and has been performed by Big Thief at their live performances since they started touring back in September of 2021.
The track’s immediate bright sonic flow, thoughtful riffs and steady pace have placed it among the most beloved out of all the tracks Big Thief have shared thus far. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Adrianne Lenker talked about the inspiration behind the songs.
“I’ve been getting notes that the music has been helping people love and accept themselves in dark times, and to me, that right there is what I want to do,” Lenker shared. “I don’t want to get to a certain level in my career or be seen as this or that. I just want people to come back to themselves and be able to accept, love or forgive themselves more fully. I want my music to be a guide to people to get back closer to themselves — not to me.”
The release follows seven singles already shared off “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You”: “No Reason,” “Spud Infinity,” “Time Escaping,” “Change,” “Little Things,” “Sparrow,” and, “Certainty.”
The attempt to capture something deeper, wider, and full of mystery, points to the inherent spirit of Big Thief. Traces of this open-hearted, non-dogmatic faith can be felt through previous albums, but here on ‘Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You’ lives the strongest testament to its existence.
Big Thief swung big with their latest statement to the world: a double album, much like Wilco’s Cruel Country, that draws on the folk-rock-country comfort food the Grateful Dead cooked up with Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty. The result is a (post-)pandemic banquet, from a band woodshedding at the top of their game. The styles are shifty, and the shagginess is deceptiveness — beneath ramshackle surfaces are meticulous constructs, earworm melodies, and undeniable grooves. Adrianne Lenker’s voice may be an acquired taste, with shades of idiosyncratic forebears like Karen Dalton, but it’s a marvelous one, and the way it blends with Buck Meek’s guitar demonstrates the magic that can happen between musicians after years of creating together. Sure, it’s an hour-twenty long — but halfway through the first song, you’ll be ready to take the rest of the day off.
The resulting album is shaping up to be exactly what Big Thief does best: a close-knit, meticulously detailed collection of emotive indie rock, created and collapsed entirely as a unit.
forthcoming album ‘Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You’, out February 11th via 4AD Records
The Fat Angel Sings 