Counting down the days until the new Big Thief album arrives. Double Infinity. I’m very excited. ‘Incomprehensible’ came out in June. I liked it. I’m writing this post in June too, so another song might have been released as a single in the past couple months. I don’t know. I’m sure that one was good too. It’s funny to me how I probably wouldn’t have a clue who Big Thief or Adrianne Lenker were, or at least come to like their work as much as I do now, if I hadn’t been out-of-my-mind bored and unemployed in 2019. I found Abysskiss on an Indieheads thread on Reddit. Dug it, I think, almost immediately. And luckily enough that year, Big Thief decided to release two albums. The ball just continued to roll from there. The group are most likely one of my favourite bands out of the 2010s. Adrianne Lenker’s always got an interesting song up her sleeve. Her solo material’s just as wealthy in its quality. Abysskiss is still my favourite of hers, and ‘symbol’ has always been a highlight from there.

A lot of good things about ‘symbol’ I can relay to you. I think what first got to me about the track, trying to think six years ahead, was how Nick Drake-ish/Pink Moon-y the guitar picking sounded. And I’m a big fan of those two things, so I was a sucker for it already. Sort of reminded me of ‘Go to Sleep’ by Radiohead too. There’s an ominous tone to Lenker’s acoustic guitar, reinforced by the droning one-note melody she adopts for the verses. But then the key changes to a lighter note for the choruses. The weight is lifted, she sings about feeling good after seeing someone smile, and her vocal skips along the light percussion that pans all over the soundscape. It’s a little rinse-and-repeat. The lyrics of the second verse are the same as the first. But there are thousands of other songs that do the same. And it works well here too. Very well. As I write this, it’s become clear that Lenker does have something for the concept of ‘infinity’, as it’s mentioned in this song too. And then there’s ‘Spud Infinity’ from Dragon New Warm Mountain…. Cool to see. I also find it humorous that she snuck the term “FaceTime” into the song. I feel it must have been intentional in some way. I get a little kick out of it.

And as much as like the song, I still really don’t know what it’s about. I’m sure it’s about a bundle of different things. On the surface level, there’s love, there’s the passing of time and a connection between the two. Very vague on my part. Might even be completely wrong. Thankfully, Genius contains a quote from Lenker that makes things much more clearer. “Writing it helped me articulate the recognition of a very deep sense of home contained within the warmth of my loved ones and friends made visible in something as simple as a smile.” That’s sweet. And that’s not meant to sound condescending in any way. I feel that warmth all over in the song. I could sink into a bed listening to it. Or watch a sun going down. Either scenarios are favourable. And I like the video for the track too. Lenker walks down the boardwalk of Coney Island singing the track. There are cuts to families and randomers enjoying their day out. And everything finishes with a slo-mo firework display. Fantastic, heartwarming visuals. Just perfect for the music it accompanies.