Big Thief have released a collection of demos, Demos Vol. 1 – Topanga Canyon, CA – Feb 2018, from the sessions that produced their two 2019 albums, U.F.O.F. and Two Hands, with all proceeds benefitting the band’s touring crew.
Big Thief previewed the collection with “Live Young (Topanga Demo),” a pensive song with a guitar line that twists in between the slow thump of drums and beneath the delicate tip-toe of Adrian Lenker’s restrained, but compelling vocals.
As the collection’s full title suggests, Demos Vol. 1 boasts five songs Big Thief recorded in a cabin in Topanga Canyon, California, in February 2018. The band recorded 34 demos total during their stint there, winnowing those down to the 22 tracks that appeared on U.F.O.F. and Two Hands. None of the five songs on the Demos collection appear on a Big Thief record, although versions of “Blue and Red Horses” and “Abysskiss” appear on Lenker’s 2018 solo record, Abysskiss.
Demos Vol. 1 is available to purchase on Big Thief’s Bandcamp, and in a statement, the group spoke about donating the proceeds to their touring crew, “whose income has been impacted by the disruption in our touring schedule. They are the lifeblood of the Big Thief shows and we care so deeply for each and every one of them.”
The coronavirus pandemic has forced Big Thief to postpone their May concerts in Australia, New Zealand and Japan to March 2021. As of now, the band still has a North American tour scheduled to kick off July 17th in Nashville.
