Big Thief today released “Demos Vol. 1 – Topanga Canyon, CA – Feb 2018,” a collection of previously unreleased songs from the sessions that spawned the group’s last two albums, “U.F.O.F.” and “Two Hands.”
The demos are available to purchase with all proceeds benefiting Big Thief’s touring crew, which, like virtually every music road crew, has been financially stranded by the tour cancellations imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Available to stream now, “Live Young Demo” offers a taste of the collection.
The band wrote in a statement: “We spent the month of February 2018 in a cabin in Topanga Canyon, California, recording 34 demos that were boiled down to become ‘U.F.O.F.’ and ‘Two Hands,’ and we’re bringing a handful into light now to share with everyone. We chose 5 of our favorites – none of which appear on any Big Thief records and a couple of which appear in different forms on Adrianne’s abysskiss. 100% of the funds we make from this release will go to our faithful road 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.”
This fundraiser comes with the news that the bands May shows in Australia, New Zealand and Japan are being moved to March 2021. Further details regarding those will be forthcoming.
The Brooklyn-based band released both “Two Hands” and “U.F.O.F.” in 2019, just months apart. Both albums were among the most critically lauded of the year and “U.F.O.F.” made Variety‘s list of “The Best Albums of 2019 (So Far).”