Big Thief’s U.F.O.F. Drops Today!
May 3, 2019Fans celebrate Big Thief’s first record for seminal label 4AD
Big Thief – well-known and well-deserving indie darlings of the past few years – drop their impressive, sweeping new album U.F.O.F today. The record – their third, and the first for their new (and fitting) label masters 4AD – is experimental, deep, personal, and just what you’ve been waiting for from the Brooklyn-based four piece.
Recorded in a distant rural setting in western Washington, U.F.O.F. seems to have come easily, perhaps a result of the familiarity between the players born from years of near-endless touring. But the result is anything but easy- rather, it’s a complex, soul-searching experience that’s well-suited to follow up an already impressive set of unforgettable songs.
Some early reviews praise the new record: “U.F.O.F. lifts the listener, slowly, into a delicate, celestial mystery, each member of the band adding their own visceral mastery to its skyscape. Adrianne Lenker’s voice finds new resting places, layered like a cloud above itself on album opener ‘Contact’ or crooning low through thick grass on ‘Betsy’. Her finger-picked guitar chords evolve and extend into warming harmony. Her leads beam passion and pain.”
“Buck Meek’s exploratory notes and avant-garde textures slither to the song’s subconscious narrative, while James Krivchenia’s relaxed tempo and snare drum ghost notes possess your head into a steady bob. Max Oleartchik’s bass guitar playing is elusive and rhythmic, either crouching undetected or ripping a quick one for the people. When his bass goes missing from the song ‘Cattails,’ imagine him levitating above the tune in quiet meditation, waiting for that perfect moment to slide back into the mix. The moment doesn’t come till halfway through the next song.”
Last week, Big Thief shared “Century,” the final of three singles dropped onto a hungry public before releasing U.F.O.F. The tune – quiet, and so deliberate – portrays the group’s evolution into a fully realized band, and shows off their musicality while reaffirming all the things we fell in love with about them in the first place. Listen to it yourself, above.
U.F.O.F. lifts the listener, slowly, into a delicate, celestial mystery, each member of the band adding their own visceral mastery to its skyscape.
Jacob Daneman, Pitch Perfect PR
More from Pitch Perfect: “Lyrically, U.F.O.F. is a dream in the dark. Characters and scenery interact outside of time. Names of mystery women appear, then disappear. Cruelties flash. Pronouns meld. There is a darkness here, but it’s not one to be feared. “Making friends with the unknown… All my songs are about this,” says Lenker; “If the nature of life is change and impermanence, I’d rather be uncomfortably awake in that truth than lost in denial.” Every song here casts a shadow, and the direction of this shadow reflects its light source.”
