When it comes to chemistry in indie rock, Big Thief is Alfred Nobel. It’s the No. 1 quality fans have zeroed in on from the beginning. I was first drawn to their magnetic camaraderie on 2016’s Masterpiece , which I adored for “the intangible feeling” of hearing skilled musicians come together and “become something greater than the sum of their parts.” Even Big Thief’s detractors have noted this unique closeness while mocking their polyamorous press photos, where they huddle together so tightly they resemble a literal four-headed creature.

Big Thief’s two frontline members, singer-songwriter Adrianne Lenker and guitarist Buck Meek, were married briefly in the mid-2010s. But that romantic partnership was eventually overshadowed by the musical union formed with drummer James Krivchen

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