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Jan 17, 2024 By Mark Redfern Photography by Germaine Dunes

Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief has announced a new solo album, Bright Future, and shared a new song from it, “Sadness as a Gift.” She has also announced a whole lot of North American tour dates for this summer and fall. Bright Future is due out March 22 via 4AD. Listen to “Sadness as a Gift” below, followed by the album’s tracklist and cover artwork.

In 2020, Lenker released two solo albums, one simply titled songs and another simply titled instrumentals, via 4AD. Bright Future will be her first solo album since then. Philip Weinrobe co-produced the album, which also features contributions from Nick Hakim, Mat Davidson, and Josefin Runsteen.

In the autumn of 2022, Lenker was pleased that three of her friends (“some of my favorite people,” as she describes Hakim, Davidson, and Runsteen in a press release) had the time to take a break from their own music careers and join her at Double Infinity, an analog studio in a forest. The three musicians didn’t really know each other that well. “I had no idea what the outcome would be,” Lenker admits, but says the results turned out well. “It was magical,” she says.

Of Davidson, Lenker says: “I’ve known Mat a long time. It doesn’t matter what instrument, his spirit just pours through.”

Lenker has known Hakim since she was 17. “The way Nick would hold my songs, he would put every ounce of love,” she says.

Of the trio of collaborators, Lenker adds: “I think the thing these people have in common, they are some of the best listeners I know musically. They have extreme presence.”

Summing up the recording of Bright Future, she says: “It felt like everyone’s nervous systems released. Once we were IN the song, somehow we just knew. No one stopped a take. We didn’t listen back. I only listened after everybody else left.”

Bright Future includes “Ruined,” a new song Lenker shared in December via a music video. “Ruined” was one of our Songs of the Week.

In September 2023, Big Thief shared a new song, “Born For Loving You.” It followed “Vampire Empire,” a new song the band shared in July 2023.

Read our 2016 Pleased to Meet You interview with Big Thief.

Read our 2017 interview with Big Thief on Capacity.

Bright Future Tracklist:

1. Real House
2. Sadness as a Gift
3. Fool
4. No Machine
5. Free Treasure
6. Vampire Empire
7. Evol
8. Candleflame
9. Already Lost
10. Cell Phone Says
11. Donut Seam
12. Ruined

Adrianne Lenker Tour Dates: Thu. Mar. 21 - Knoxville, TN @ Big Ears
Fri. April 19 - Galway, IE @ The Black Box * SOLD OUT
Sat. April 20 - Kilkenny, IE @ St. Canice’s Cathedral * SOLD OUT
Sun. April 21 - Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street * SOLD OUT
Wed. April 24 - Glasgow, UK @ Old Fruitmarket + SOLD OUT
Thu. April 25 - Manchester, UK @ The Hall at Aviva Studios + SOLD OUT
Sat. April 27 - London, UK @ Barbican Centre = SOLD OUT
Sun. April 28 - London, UK @ Barbican Centre = SOLD OUT
Mon. April 29 - Bristol, UK @ Bristol Beacon + SOLD OUT
Thu. May 2 - Paris, FR @ Le Trianon +
Fri. May 3 - Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royale +
Sun. May 5 - Amsterdam, NL @ The Concertgebouw = SOLD OUT
Mon. May 6 - Berlin, DE @ Admiralspalast =
Tue. May 7 - Hamburg, DE @ Kampnagel =
Fri. May 10 - Copenhagen, DK @ The Royal Danish Academy of Music = SOLD OUT
Sat. May 11 - Stockholm, SE @ Berns =
Sun. May 12 - Oslo, NO @ Chateau Neuf =
Sun. Jun. 9 - Austin, TX @ The Paramount Theatre %
Mon. Jun. 10 - Austin, TX @ The Paramount Theatre %
Wed. Jun. 12 - Albuquerque, NM @ KiMO Theatre %
Thu. Jun. 13 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre %
Sat. Jun. 15 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Theatre at Ace Hotel =
Sun. Jun. 16 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Theatre at Ace Hotel +
Mon. Jun. 17 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater =
Thu. Jun. 20 - Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall =
Fri. Jun. 21 - Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall +
Sat. Jun. 22 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre +
Tue. Jun. 25 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot =
Wed. Jun. 26 - Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom =
Fri. Jun. 28 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre =
Sat. Jun. 29 - Minneapolis, MN @ State Theatre =
Mon. Nov. 11 - Northampton, MA @ Academy Of Music Theatre ^
Tue. Nov. 12 - Boston, MA @ Boch Center Shubert Theatre ^
Wed. Nov. 13 - Boston, MA @ Boch Center Shubert Theatre ^
Fri. Nov. 15 - Montreal, QC @ L’Olympia ^
Sat. Nov. 16 - Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre ^
Tue. Nov. 19 - Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre ^
Thu. Nov. 21 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern ^
Fri. Nov. 22 - Durham, NC @ TBA ^
Sat. Nov. 23 - Washington, DC @ The Anthem ^
Mon. Nov. 25 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer ^
Tue. Nov. 26 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer ^

* w/ Ellie O’Neill
+ w/ Nick Hakim
= w/ Twain
% w/ Steve Fisher
^ w/ Suzanne Vallie

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