Prolific indie four-piece Big Thief are no strangers to an album roll out seeing as they dropped two full albums in 2019 alone. But for their 2022 release, which has the mouth-full of a title Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, Big Thief are combining two albums into one with a 20-track double LP. Giving another preview of the release, the band share two new singles.
After announcing Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You with the tracks “Time Escaping,” “Change,” “Certainty,” “Sparrow,” and “Little Things,” Big Thief share two more songs, “No Reason” and “Spud Infinity.” Both songs are joyous in their own way. “Spud Infinity” features some funky percussion and was a family affair as lead singer Adrianne Lenker’s younger brother, Noah Lenker, playing the jaw harp. The former single, “No Reason” opens with the triumphant cacophony of shimmering acoustic chords and the tender melodies of a lofty flute.
The flute heard on “No Reason” was actually a happy accident. The band was in a recording session in the Colorado Rockies when they heard the lovely sound of someone playing the flute from a nearby lookout tour. Upon inspection, the flutist in question was Richard Hardy, who has been credited on countless records over the past 30 years, including some of Carole King’s music. Big Thief invited Hardy to sit in on some of their sessions, which resulted in the wistful flute heard on “No Reason.”
Listen to “No Reason” and “Spud Infinity” above.
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is out 2/11 via 4AD. Pre-order it here.