For the past 8 years, Adrianne Lenker, the frontwoman of the Brooklyn-based band Big Thief, has been at the forefront of the indie music scene. Her characteristically whimsical lyricism, combined with eclectic production that range from indie rock to country to trip-hop, has been met with universal critical acclaim, including six Best New Album awards from Pitchfork and four Grammy nominations. Her new solo record “Bright Future,” centered around community and contemplation, fully proves why Lenker is considered a generational talent.
As an album that was recorded straight-to-tape at Double Infinity, a studio in the woods, there is a sense of spontaneity that reverberates through its 12 songs. Specifically, in the minimalist opener “Real House,” each piano key and violin creak is felt as Lenker tells a series of vignettes across her childhood. With each verse, memories are methodically described: the first film that made her scared, moving to a new house, dreams of flying and inventing, a hospital visit and seeing her mother cry for the first time as “they put the needle” into their dying family dog. What makes this song the emotional centerpiece of the album are Lenker’s sparse and parsed lines, similar to Phil Elverum’s songwriting in his grief album, “A Crow Looked at Me.” Familial dynamics and mother-daughter relationships are often overwhelmingly complex, and the associative structure of “Real House” allows Lenker to find the sadness and humanity that lies within.
Lenker takes her time to establish her philosophies on love and loss. For topics that are often discussed to the point of cliche, her songs offer refreshing takes that stem from her separation with singer-songwriter Indigo Sparke. In the single “Sadness as a Gift,” Lenker attempts to find the intersection between the two, suggesting that they could “see the sadness as a gift and still / feel too heavy to hold.” As sweeping strings and warm guitar strums complement her voice, Lenker demonstrates that acceptance isn’t synonymous with apathy; one can continue to care for and reminisce about their ex-partner while acknowledging its end.
These sentiments are further carried in “Free Treasure,” whose timeless melody and pastoral lyrics make it akin to a folk standard. There is a sway to Lenker’s voice as she sings: “Do you wanna go to the river? / I know this spot so deep and green / With wild raspberries and apple trees / And rocks to climb between / Water like a washing machine.” Scenes of domesticity—dancing in the yard and home-cooked meals—are juxtaposed with the ominous admission that “there’s a guy at the nape of [her] neck” who “quantifies [her] every thought and tells [her] not to play.” The obvious interpretation is Lenker’s criticism of capitalism and corporate goals which prevents one from experiencing a pure love, one that is free from greed and distractions. However, her words are so striking and filled with imagery, “Free Treasure” invigorates me with a thirst for life each time I listen to it.
One of Lenker’s interests is exploring the dichotomy between truth and memory no matter how beautiful or scarring it may be. This idea is fully encapsulated in her re-recording of “Vampire Empire,” which was released in 2023 under Big Thief’s name. Featuring a more gritty and physical arrangement than her previous ones, Lenker revels in honesty as she deconstructs a toxic and co-dependent relationship where nobody comes across as the hero.
The claustrophobia in the mixing of “Vampire Empire” is gripping, each word sung and strand played with such rawness and ferocity that the song suddenly feels delicate and fragile. She breaks apart gender (“I wanted to be your woman and I wanted to be your man”), identity (“I see you as you see yourself through all the books you read”) and motherhood (“You say you wanna be alone and then you want children”), all in the span of three minutes and 55 seconds. For a world that is so difficult to explain or verbalize, Lenker’s ability to effortlessly translate life’s multiplicities makes “Bright Future” a masterpiece.
