Big Thief Drop Tender Fan Favorite ‘Simulation Swarm’

Less than a month before Big Thief release their massive 20-track LP Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, the indie band have dropped yet another single.

“Simulation Swarm” kicks off with sweet, fluttering guitar, as Adrianne Lenker’s voice weaves in and out like a stream. In a recent Rolling Stone feature, she said the track was inspired by personal experiences, including an intense four-day hospitalization in Brooklyn in 2020. Prior to its release, the band has been performing it on tour since last September, and it’s become a fan favorite.

“I’ve been getting notes that the music has been helping people love and accept themselves in dark times, and to me, that right there is what I want to do,” Lenker told RS. “I don’t want to get to a certain level in my career or be seen as this or that. I just want people to come back to themselves and be able to accept, love or forgive themselves more fully. I want my music to be a guide to people to get back closer to themselves — not to me.”

“Simulation Swarm” follows the previous Dragon singles “No Reason,” “Spud Infinity,” “Time Escaping,” “Change,” “Little Things,” “Sparrow,” and, “Certainty.” The band will embark on a North American tour in the spring, kicking off in Ithaca, New York on April 12.