Folk-rock band Big Thief released their largely anticipated sixth album, “Double Infinity,” on Sept. 5 — their first in three years. It is also their first album without Max Oleartchick, their bassist, who exited the band last year. 

The album has a 43-minute runtime full of narrative acoustics and poetically contemplative themes that the band masterfully conveys.

The album builds on the band’s classic indie sound and the familiarity of Adrianne Lenker’s tear-jerking lyricism to build a resonating compilation of bittersweet memories, raw love and authentic world-building that provides a glimpse into the mindscape of Big Thief.

“Double Infinity” begins with the single “Incomprehensible,” a pre-release from earlier this year, easing the album into a lush, whimsical tone that brings listeners to a reconciliation with aging. The ballad evokes childhood memories brimming with old trinkets and hand-written letters. 

Lenker sings of aging, “My mother and my grandma, my great-grandmother too / Wrinkle like the river, sweeten like the dew.” The similes paint a lovely picture of growing old as Lenker dreams of the peace and beauty that age will bring, leaving childhood peacefully resting in the past.

The following track, “Words,” redirects the album’s theme to relationships in which they struggle to find words to communicate as the tune dissolves from upbeat folk to having a grittier, foreboding air. “Los Angeles” then takes the story to that of a relationship marred by distance before reconnection and cultivating a domestic life.

“All Night All Day” revels in the pleasure of the gentle, physical facets of a relationship, accented by rich instrumentation that mirrors the emotions of coming together as one. 

The title track, “Double Infinity,” slows down the beat to an unconventional love song in which Lenker details being tested by the world’s turmoil. The thing that brings them comfort, though, is their lover who is “The eye behind the essence / Still, unmovable, unchanging.” The lover becomes an anchor in the chaos — a rock on which Lenker can lean.

“No Fear” then enters with a rhythm section composed of soft drums and a steady bassline, continuing the unhurried air of the title track and creating a dream-like ambiance that the listener can get lost in. The song details a peace that is detached from the material world and time — peace brought on by their dearly beloved.

In “Grandmother,” Lenker addresses their grandmother, ruminating on the truth of their existence, before apologizing to a lover and declaring, “Gonna turn it all into rock and roll” in a sweet ballad of memory. 

The album ends with “How Could I Have Known,” a mellow and soulful conclusion that reflects on all that is ending and the love that will continue on through those heartfelt goodbyes, wrapping up any lingering wistfulness and looking on to the future.

“Double Infinity” hits hard and true. It is a powerfully eclectic album, telling a story of growth and traveling time through relationships from Lenker’s eyes. The folk melodies combined with lyricism that can only be described as striking usher in a myriad of emotions as listeners contemplate the stories of their lives and transitions into new eras.