Double Infinity Asks You to Look Inward

Micah Bessette 

He/Him 

Media Editor 

10/8/25 

Last month, Big Thief, a band known for their hits like “Velvet Ring” and “Vampire Empire,” released their fifth album, Double Infinity. Through the 42-minute LP, the band explores concepts like aging, old love, and nostalgia. Featuring detailed instrumentation, clean vocal harmonies, and the band’s usual metaphorical lyricism, the album feels like seeing an old friend after a long time away. 

I’ve been a longtime fan of Big Thief, and I’ve enjoyed seeing their progression in production quality throughout the years. While Double Infinity sounds the most professional in quality, I don’t believe it is their best album. Overall, I would give it an 8/10, however I truly appreciate the way it starkly contrasts with their 2022 album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You. 

Double Infinity focuses on a tight rhythm section and lots of intricate percussion. The basslines and guitar solos are in typical Big Thief fashion, using soft tones and calming riffs. One thing that really impressed me in this album was the instrumentation. There are a lot of sounds coming from instruments of all kinds layering on top of one another, yet they manage to refrain from a muddy tone. While the transitions between most of the songs aren’t the cleanest, the album’s order was chosen very intentionally. Big Thief thread themes consistently throughout and close out the album with “How Could I have Known,” a song about reflecting on an old relationship. 

There were several songs in the album that really stuck out to me. “Incomprehensible,” the album’s opener, is a tune about the societal pressures surrounding aging. The song showcases a powerful message delivered by a refreshing melody and an upbeat rhythm section. It also features the line “how can beauty that is living be anything but true?” which I really resonated with. “Los Angeles,” a song about nostalgia, that uses calming background vocals and stories from lead singer Adrianne Lenker’s life to foster an emotionally driven melancholic vibe. “Grandmother” looks at aging from a different perspective, using a reflection on life to push the idea of a sort of optimistic nihilism. Featured vocals from artist Laraaji are a little weird, but also oddly charming. The song uses the line “It’s alright, everything that happened, happened, so what’s the use of holding?” which I really liked. The last song that stuck out was “Happy with You,” an incredibly repetitive yet upbeat song. While the same three lyrics are used throughout, the fast and exciting beat of the song adds more contrast to the album overall. 

I enjoyed all the songs on the album some way or another, but I thought “No Fear” was a little unnecessary. The nearly seven-minute song uses the same lyrical ploy throughout and is essentially one verse the whole time. It ended up just sort of fading into the background for me. 

Overall while Double Infinity wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever heard, I thought it was very unique, and I think Big Thief has once again created something beautiful.