In just a few years, Big Thief has built a complex and thought-out discography that’s made them into critical darlings. While arguably creating some of the most intriguing and addicting singles of the past several years—“Shark Smile,” “Masterpiece,” and “Mythological Beauty”—their albums aren’t particularly easy affairs. Each one twists and turns through genres, often touching the heels of perfect pop before quickly backing away. The band’s odd amalgamation of alt-country, art-rock, and minimalist folk weaves around Adrianne Lenker’s versatile and unusual voice—a voice that exists somewhere between the sharp Appalachian drawl of Iris DeMent and the hushed bedroom-pop intimacy of Frankie Cosmos’ Greta Kline.
by Joshua James Amberson