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Apr 03, 2019 Big Thief By Christopher Roberts

Big Thief are releasing a new album, U.F.O.F., on May 3 via 4AD, their first for the label after two albums on Saddle Creek. Previously they shared its first single, the similarly titled “UFOF” (which was one of our Songs of the Week). They have now shared another song from the album, “Cattails,” and have expanded their tour. Listen to “Cattails” below, followed by all the band’s upcoming tour dates.

Big Thief’s singer/songwriter/guitarist Adrianne Lenker had this to say about the song in a press release: “Cattails came about while we were at the studio in Washington in the pine forest. Writing it was just one of those electric multicolored waves of connectivity just sweeping through my body. I stayed up late finishing the song and the next morning was stomping around playing it over and over again. We thought why not just record it, so James sat at the drums and we practiced and by the time we’d finished practicing, Dom Monks - our engineer - had already sneakily set up mics and recorded it. It was beautiful that he’d captured it right away because when James and I were playing it felt like a little portal in the fabric had opened and we were just flying. Listening back to it makes me cry sometimes.”

The “F” in U.F.O.F. stands for “friendship.” The album is the follow-up to 2017’s Capacity and 2016’s debut album, Masterpiece. Last fall Lenker released a new solo album, abysskiss, via Saddle Creek. Lenker and the rest of the band (guitarist Buck Meek, bassist Max Oleartchik, and drummer James Krivchenia) recorded the album at Bear Creek Studios in rural western Washington. The album was tracked live with engineer Dom Monks and producer Andrew Sarlo.

A previous press release stated that lyrically, ”U.F.O.F. is a dream in the dark,” adding that “characters and scenery interact outside of time. Names of mystery women appear, then disappear. Cruelties flash. Pronouns meld. There is a darkness here, but it’s not one to be feared.”

Lenker added: “Making friends with the unknown… All my songs are about this. If the nature of life is change and impermanence, I’d rather be uncomfortably awake in that truth than lost in denial.”

Big Thief are partnering with Plus1 for their North American shows, with $1 from every ticket sold in the U.S. going to benefit SAEF, Little Kids Rock and Youth Speaks. Shows in Canada will benefit DANS LA RUE, Sketch, and UNYA.

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

Read our 2017 interview with Big Thief on Capacity.

Big Thief Tour Dates:

Sat. Apr. 20 - San Diego, CA @ Irenic
Thu. May 2 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
Fri. May 3 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Bootleg Theater (SOLD OUT)
Sun. May 5 - Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere (SOLD OUT)
Sat. May 18 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club (SOLD OUT)
Sun. May 19 - Glasgow, UK @ SWG3
Tues. May 21 - Dublin, IR @ Vicar Street
Wed. May 22 - Manchester, UK @ The Ritz
Thu. May 23 - London, UK @ Roundhouse
Fri. May 24 - Bristol, UK @ SWX
Sun. May 26 - Cambridge, UK @ Cambridge Junction
Mon. May 27 - Paris, FR @ Trabendo
Tue. May 28 - Brussels, BE @ Orangerie
Thu. May 30 - Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
Fri. May 31 - Nîmes, FR @ This Is Not a Love Song Festival
Sun. June 2 - Amsterdam, NL @ Best Kept Secret
Mon. June 3-6 - Marina Di Ravenna, IT @ Beaches Brew Festival
Mon. June 3 - Berlin, DE @ Lido
Tue. June 4 - Zurich, CH @ Bogen F
Sat. June 8 - Porto, PT @ NOS Privaera Sound
Tue. August 6-10 - Oslo, NO @ Oya Festival
Thu. August 8 - Copenhagen, DK @ Lille Vega
Thu. August 15-18 - Wales, UK @ Green Man Festival
Fri. August 16 - Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop Festival
Thu. Oct. 10 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Fri. Oct. 11 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Sat. Oct. 12 - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
Sun. Oct. 13 - Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre
Tue. Oct. 15 - Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe
Wed. Oct. 16 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
Thu. Oct. 17 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
Fri. Oct. 18 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
Sat. Oct. 19 - Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
Mon. Oct. 21 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
Thu. Oct. 24 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
Fri. Oct. 25 - Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
Sat. Oct. 26 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
Mon. Oct. 28 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Wed. Oct. 30 - Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
Fri. Nov. 1 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Sat. Nov. 2 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister
Mon. Nov. 4 - Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre
Tue. Nov. 5 - Dallas, TX @ Trees
Thu. Nov. 7 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Fri. Nov. 8 - Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom
Sat. Nov. 9 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Sun. Nov. 10 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Mon. Nov. 11 - Columbus, OH @ The Athenaeum Theatre

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