Remarkably, Bright Future is Adrianne Lenker’s sixth studio album even with the success she has had as the lead singer in Big Thief. The spare album was released in the spring 2024 and is enriched with many emotions. The way she sings “don’t know what I’d do without you” on the chorus of “No Machine” makes it heartbreaking or the dusty piano that plays beneath “Real House” where she sings, “Now 31 and I don’t feel strong”.
“Vampire Empire” is a bit more rough and ready while “Feel Treasure” has a sort of epicness that Simon and Garfunkel could ring out of their minimal arrangements. Bright Future ends with two terrific songs. She is joined on the chorus by Nick Hakim on “Donut Seam” that makes it sound a bit like Bon Iver on a track that sings to the human condition of swimming and kissing while the world burns. “Ruined” has her best vocal on the album on a track that is a bit more pop in nature, though one with plenty of emotion. Adrianne Lenker is one of those rare artists whose solo work is just as intriguing as her main gig.
8/10
The Light Appears 