Big Thief meet their ghosts with ‘Paul’

On 27th May, Brooklyn’s Big Thief release their excellent debut album ‘Masterpiece’, a first work packing tricks it’d take some bands decades to learn.

“Accomplished songwriting” is one dull way of putting it, even though they do tick those boxes. ‘Masterpiece’ is more about gut-wrenching truth - a heady trip through stark emotional terrain. Adrianne Lenker and guitarist Buck Meek deliver that feeling with serious purpose.

‘Paul’, premiering on DIY, is the latest heartbreaking take to be lifted from the LP. “I’ll be your record player baby, if you know what I mean,” Lenker and Meek sing, leading the group through a carousel-style trip through the ages.

“The future self came and told me the whole story,” explains Lenker, surrealism behind the message. “The ghost of relationship future wrote that song. Looking at heartbreak before it happens, after it happened. It looked like an old film in my head. Some images I included in the song, and others still exist only in my imagination whenever I play it. Snow, a drive in, soft glowing street lamps, soft lips, wounds, sharing a bottle in a train yard. It’s more of a song about a raging internal battle than it is a love song.”

Listen to Big Thief’s latest “raging internal battle” below. And pre-order ‘Masterpiece’ via Saddle Creek if you know what’s good for you.