Big Thief’s new single “Incomprehensible” comes with an announcement of the band’s sixth full-length album, Double Infinity. The track serves as the album opener, giving us a glimpse into the next phase of the band’s musical journey. Immediately, there’s evidence of an expected shift, from the brief electronic-sounding opening noise of the track. The cover art, photographed by Bobby Doherty, offers an abstract visual that hints at the album’s themes of transformation and exploration. It is a noticeable departure from the disposable photos and folk-esque sketches from the band’s previous releases.
“Incomprehensible” explores themes of aging, opening the door to Adrienne Lenker’s existential reflections as she enters her mid-thirties. She grapples with the inexplicable nature of growing older in a universe that doesn’t experience time in the same way, singing, ‘In two days it’s my birthday and I’ll be thirty-three, that doesn’t really matter next to eternity.’ Lenker also critiques society’s portrayal of aging as something to fear, questioning how that can be when aging is simply proof of having lived. These heavy concepts unfold through Lender’s lyricism, revealing both vulnerability and defiance.
The song culminates to one conclusion: to keep optimistic and appreciate what it means to be alive. As Lenker sings, ‘Everything I see from now on will be something new,’ we can only help but wonder where the album will go from here. It isn’t clear if the production choice on the track was intentional as the album’s opener, or if they are making a subtle change to their sound. Big Thief has been a band for a decade now, and Double Infinity is teeing up to be a turning point for the group’s sound.
“Incomprehensible” is released ahead of Big Thief’s upcoming album, Double Infinity, out September 5th via 4AD. Pre-order available here.
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