Any Big Thief fans out there remember 2019? That was a good year to be one, for sure. For me, it was by sheer luck that I became a follower of the group and songwriter Adrianne Lenker at the time, having found abysskiss through the Indieheads subreddit one day, liking that, and then being a little more intrigued by the singles from U.F.O.F. that followed shortly after. That album’s my favourite of Big Thief’s. Just putting that out there. But some months after that album’s release came the announcement of Two Hands, a surprise second album for the year, which was recorded immediately after sessions ceased for its predecessor.

The record contains one of the band’s most popular songs in the form of ‘Not’. Barack Obama named it as one of his songs of the year. I don’t think it’s too bad, myself. But we’re not here to talk about it. I already have. No, today’s post is dedicated to ‘Replaced’, the track that comes two songs later on Two Hands and gets the penultimate slot on the album. That second side in particular is probably one of the best in Big Thief’s whole discography. I’d give it a solid 9/10. You’ll see a couple more on this place as time goes on. Why I don’t give it the full marks is because there’s just one song on that half that I think is forgettable. But forget about that. It’s ‘Replaced’ time.

‘Replaced’ is the sole track on the album with a co-writing credit of Lenker and fellow guitarist Buck Meek. Who wrote which parts of the song I couldn’t tell you. I wonder if the music was mainly written by the latter with Lenker on the lyrics. The descending guitar riff that opens the track seems to influence Lenker’s vocal melody. Meek comes in to harmonise during those warm choruses, which leads me to believe that he at least played a part in the formation of them. What you hear on the album is the original demo for the song, recorded in February 2019 according to the liner notes, and the intimacy of it all comes through in the comforting, cosy feel of the performance. The song’s a mystery to me. Lenker could be singing about herself, about another person/other people, or taking the perspective of a character. What I’ve always thought, though, is that the line “Because in your room, we gather/To be replaced by the mystery of the heart” was about the band getting together to make some magic happen and produce some music fuelled by the abundant chemistry between the band members. It’s not a song that you can find solid answers about, so I’m throwing things out there. But with what I have, I think the song’s about Lenker/Meek’s piqued curiosity in their bandmates’ quirks (or each other’s) and the delight they have when playing together. It’s a sweet moment on the album. Definitely one of my highlights.