Albums to watch

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

Big Thief

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

Fifth album from the indie rock quartet fronted by singer-songwriter Adrianne Lenker is a double and was recorded in four separate studios

ADM rating[?]

8.4

Label
4AD
UK Release date
11/02/2022
US Release date
11/02/2022
  1. 10.0 |   The Independent

    In a market saturated with arty folk rockers, Big Thief stand out not by doing things weirder, but by doing them better
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  2. 10.0 |   Evening Standard

    An abundance of styles gives the potential for a new favourite song every time you listen to this rich album
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  3. 9.2 |   Beats Per Minute

    It’ll be hard to outdo this 20-track masterpiece, but at this point it’s impossible to bet against them
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  4. 9.1 |   Paste Magazine

    Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You is the work of a great band at a creative peak
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  5. 9.0 |   PopMatters

    Big Thief’s dazzling new record sees the foursome dabbling in a plethora of folk-based styles and coming out sounding like no one but themselves
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  6. 9.0 |   Northern Transmissions

    An album that keeps on giving, from a band that does the same and asks for nothing in return but to be appreciated as the thoughtful artists they always have been. It’s an album for all occasions that also feels perfect for here and now
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  7. 9.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    With Dragon… we glimpse Big Thief’s magic in action, like pressing an ear to the rehearsal room door. It’s a lived experience, open-hearted and spontaneous, that pushes the boundaries of what the four, between them, can create
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  8. 9.0 |   DIY

    A group undoubtedly at the peak of their powers
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  9. 9.0 |   Pitchfork

    Big Thief’s ambitious yet unburdened fifth album is a 20-song epic of kaleidoscopic invention, striking beauty, and wigged-out humor, rambling far beyond the bounds of their previous work
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  10. 9.0 |   Clash

    A truly talismanic record that will live long in the memory for any who experience it
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  11. 9.0 |   Exclaim

    It's a universe all its own, clarified a bit more with every listen. As Lenker sings on the title track, over a constellation of guitars and wind chimes, "it's a little bit magic"
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  12. 9.0 |   Uncut

    Instantly satisfying, but its charms and mysteries will resound for years. Print edition only

  13. 9.0 |   Gigwise

    Both a soundtrack to a great adventure through the wilderness, or an evening of pure listening joy to experience alone
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  14. 9.0 |   No Ripcord

    The result is the most compelling case in years on the potential of the journey—the insights to be gleaned, the friendships to be strengthened, your own potential waiting to be untapped. Albums like DNWMIBIY make you believe in magic again
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  15. 9.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    On their fearless double album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, Big Thief let go of all inhibitions and intentionality in order to grasp their place in the universe. They’ve never felt closer to finding it
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  16. 9.0 |   musicOMH

    This big, sprawling album which allows Adrienne Lenker and co to move from hushed ballads to more raucous fare at a blink of an eye, yet never seems to outstay its welcome
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  17. 8.3 |   A.V. Club

    Like its title, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You can be a bit much, but Big Thief still crafts the closest thing we get to timeless music these days
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  18. 8.0 |   The Music

    Thrilling, terrifying and terrific
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  19. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    Simulation Swarm is a standout – immersive and rich, it is disarmingly charming, as much of this record is
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  20. 8.0 |   The Observer

    Stark balladry meets raucous hoedowns as the US indie rockers offer fresh highlights with every listen
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  21. 8.0 |   Mojo

    An album of admirable ambition and a mantra worth repeating until its mysteries are revealed. Print edition only

  22. 8.0 |   NME

    The Brooklyn-formed band's fifth album explores a broad range of sounds, and comes filled with openness
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  23. 8.0 |   Under The Radar

    If Dragon ends up being a fan favorite just for the fact that it has the most songs, the most sounds, and the ability to make you notice a new favorite each time through, that’s a perfectly fine way to view it
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  24. 8.0 |   Dork

    While their usual tightness and focus have had to be sacrificed, the end result is an altogether more unpredictable and exciting beast. A rewarding adventure worth its runtime
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  25. 7.6 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    Indefinable, inexplicable, completely brilliant, utterly frustrating; and above and through all of that, absolute masters of their craft
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  26. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Beloved indie-folk band delivers a 20-song album full of slanted revelation
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  27. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    A worthy and momentous journey
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  28. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Big Thief’s Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You is more diverse and fully realized than the band’s past albums
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  29. 7.0 |   All Music

    It seems unfair to call DNWMIBIY a failed experiment, as it's loaded with gems - including some of Big Thief's most free-spirited work to date - however, it lands much more like a showreel than a plotted album
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  30. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    On their latest album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, Big Thief are at their most beguiling when giving in to weird experiments
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