Big Thief – Two Hands

Two Hands, released October 11, 2019, is Big Thief’s fourth studio album and a striking complement to the earlier *U.F.O.F.* in the same year. Recorded mainly live at Sonic Ranch in Texas with minimal overdubs, the band aimed for immediate, visceral performance energy. The sessions foreground the raw chemistry between Adrianne Lenker’s guitar and voice, Buck Meek’s counterpoint, Max Oleartchik’s bass, and James Krivchenia’s drumming. The desert surroundings and live approach help the record feel grounded and urgent compared to the more ethereal tone of *U.F.O.F.*.:contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Tracks like “Not,” “Shoulders,” “Forgotten Eyes,” and “Cut My Hair” map a terrain of emotional intensity, grief, connection, and mortality. Lenker’s lyrics often veer between confession and imagery, while the band shifts from hushed tension to cathartic bursts. *Two Hands* is less about polish than about capturing relational fracture and sonic rupture, offering a more muscular, grounded counterpart to Big Thief’s dreamier impulses. Critics have lauded it as essential and raw—another defining moment in their discography.:contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Reviews

"The album's quality stands on its own, offering its own grade of intimacy, sound, and feel for alternate moods." – AllMusic

“The second landmark album this year from Big Thief is raw, tactile, and essential.” – Pitchfork

“Big Thief’s album U.F.O.F released earlier this year was hazy and dreamlike, its companion Two Hands feels pure, tangible and raw.” – Loud And Quiet