AdRiANNE LENKER

Big Thief leader and mystic: “We’re all in the same boat”

adrianne Lenker’s new solo album was recorded at the end of a three-week trip through the south-west. “I met a man with a wolf T-shirt on and a bright purple pendant,” she says. “He told me it’s important to heal, so I can use my power and energy for good. I don’t exactly know what ‘good’ is, but he gave me a stone to put in my mouth when I need to, so time can pass before I use my words.”

This deference to quiet and consideration emanates from abysskiss. It’s an album that honours space and breath as much as it does words and music. It’s a profound reflection, the result of years spent on the road with her band Big Thief.

The journey began after Lenker met her bandmate and partner Buck Meek. They sank what they had into a white conversion van, and headed out on the road. In the four years since, she’s released two lauded albums with her band, and now a fine solo rumination.

Despite years spent in a van and hotels, Lenker feels closer than ever to the land. “The more I travel, the more I feel there is no space between humans, only the illusion of it,” she says. “We’re all in the same boat together. Earth is home.”