Big Thief Debut New Triple Album, Horsepower, Live in Nashville

Surprise Album Debut at the Ryman

Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium played host to Big Thief on Saturday night, Aug. 23, for what the band’s fans must have expected to be a typical evening of songs. Instead, the group delivered an epic surprise, performing their new unreleased triple album, Horsepower, in its entirety. The performance featured an array of special guests, including Americana icons Iris DeMent, Gillian Welch, and Lucinda Williams, as reported by both Pitchfork and Rolling Stone.

A Carefully Staged Surprise

Rolling Stone reported that signs on the way into the venue suggested something out of the ordinary was planned: the lack of an opening act, posters requesting that audience members refrain from phone use, and a stage set with extra seats and fiddles on stands. The trio of Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, and James Krevchenia, alongside touring bassist Joshua Crumbly, took their seats around a wooden table and remained seated for nearly the entire show, according to the same report.

Horsepower Origins and Guest Appearances

Lenker explained that Horsepower was made in Nashville last May, as as reported by Rolling Stone. While the band did not mention the specific studio, Gillian Welch is a co-owner. Woodland Studios alongside David Rawlings, but that detail was not confirmed. The show featured two sets with an intermission, and the album was played in full but not in sequence, as both outlets noted.

Iris DeMent joined the band first, then Gillian Welch, and Lucinda Williams came on for the last two songs, as reported by Rolling Stone. DeMent, looking extremely happy, clapped and danced during her appearance. The band was also joined by session players Greg Leisz and Russ Pahl on steel and guitar, and Zosha Warpeha, Richard Bowden, and Hannah Read played a three-piece fiddle section, heightening the album’s twang of the evening.

Song Origins Tonight

Many of the albums songs have been circulating in the Big Thief universe for years, according to Rolling Stone, with examples including “Happiness,” “Baby Honey Sweet Darlin,” “Spatchcock Chickenshit Bingo,” and “Muscle Memory.” The song “Sadness Is a Gift” was previously recorded on Lenker’s solo album, Bright Future, and one tune, once known as “Bloom” and now called “21,” holds the distinction of being the first song Lenker and Meek ever wrote together. Almost two-thirds of the album had already been debuted on the road, that outlet added.

Guest List and Special Moments

The album’s themes focused on happiness and love, with Lenker dedicating a song to her girlfriend, according to Rolling Stone. That source also noted that the night’s performance is connected to a planned concert film, though details have not yet been disclosed. The band intends to repeat the performance the following evening, on Sunday night in Nashville, as reported by Rolling Stone.

Upcoming Tour and Recent Album

Big Thief released their most recent studio album, Double Infinity, in 2025, as per Pitchfork, which also characterized it as their first album as a trio. Next month, the band will begin another leg of touring behind that record, covering North America and concluding with a show at Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheater on October 6, as reported by the same source.

A set list from the evening, included with Pitchfork’s article, showed the full slate of 29 songs performed.