Big Thief at The Anthem

Anyone else have “Masterpiece” regularly on repeat? Maybe a bit more often over the last two years? The standout track on Big Thief‘s 2016 debut album of the same name, a tale about the passage of time and letting go of things no longer here, started hitting differently during the pandemic. In the six years since Masterpiece, the four piece has grown up and slowly gotten quieter. Their February release, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, is a 20-song journey through the highs and lows of the human experience. The twangy standout “Certainty” is one of the best songs of the year thus far, and serves as an anchor for the 80-minute opus. A little bit The Band, a little bit Bright Eyes, Big Thief’s latest music settles into a calm, compelling groove. Lines like, “Sit on the phone, watch TV/ Romance, action, mystery,” explore the everyday, relatable aspects of partnerships. The mundane becomes beautiful when it’s described by Big Thief. The band has been opening quite a few gigs on this tour with the bittersweet first track off the new record, “Change.” If you tear up when Adrianne Lenker sings, “Death, like a door/ To a place we’ve never been before/ Death, like space/ The deep sea, a suitcase,” you’re not alone. So if you’re in need of a Midsommar group-cry moment, here’s your concert. And don’t feel embarrassed if you’re an ugly crier—Big Thief makes music for the ugly criers. Big Thief plays at 8 p.m. on April 21 at the Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. theanthemdc.com. $41–$61. Masks required.