The Song Meaning Wiki

Capacity

Big ThiefStudioJune 9, 2017

About this Album

Capacity is the second studio album by Big Thief, released on June 9, 2017, on Saddle Creek Records and produced by Andrew Sarlo. The band recorded it over about a month in a farmhouse they were house-sitting, working with analog equipment[1].

Critics responded warmly: the album holds a Metacritic score of 81 from 15 reviews, with an 8.3 from Pitchfork and a 9 out of 10 from Exclaim![1]. Stereogum called it a huge leap forward made with confidence, intuition, and empathy[2]. Adrianne Lenker described its songs as a search for a deeper level of self-acceptance[3]. The singles were “Mythological Beauty” and “Shark Smile.”[1]

The album opens with Pretty Things, a quiet, slightly off-kilter track that one reviewer read as a declaration of intent for the record[4], and another heard as a deliberate contrast with the louder debut[5].

Songs

Mythological BeautyPretty Things

References

  1. Capacity (album) (Wikipedia) — Release date, recording circumstances, track details and critical reception.
  2. Album Of The Week: Big Thief, Capacity (Stereogum) — Album review noting the song addresses her mother and calling the record a leap forward.
  3. Big Thief, "Mythological Beauty" Video (Stereogum) — Video credits, album announcement and Lenker’s statement on self-acceptance.
  4. Album Review: Big Thief, Capacity (Highway Queens) — Reads the opener as unsettling and a declaration of intent.
  5. Big Thief: Capacity [Album Review] (The Fire Note) — Describes the hushed opening in contrast to the debut.