Capacity is the second studio album by the American band Big Thief, released through Saddle Creek Records on June 9, 2017.
Capacity was recorded in a farmhouse that the band was house-sitting. With the owner out of town, the band was able to record uninterrupted for a month. The album was recorded on analog recording equipment.
According to Lizzie Manno of Paste Magazine: "Big Thief thrive on the magic they unearth seemingly from a past life. Lenker delivers poetic lines about nature that never appear trite with a voice that ranges from gentle to fierce, always with a mother-like comfort. [...] Capacity draws on earth's passing moments that are taken for granted, but it's grounded in humanity's brightest and darkest tendencies. Their tender, evocative indie-folk transcends any musical categorization."
The album's cover artwork features a photograph of vocalist Adrianne Lenker's uncle holding her as a newborn.
Capacity received critical acclaim upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, the album has received an average score of 81, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 15 reviews.
Paste Magazine included the album in their list of the best indie rock albums of the 2010s. Staff writer Lizzie Manno said "[the album is] dirty, heartbreaking, trustworthy, gorgeous and armed with a childlike wonder and well-worn sagacity. While their 2016 debut Masterpiece offered raw charm, 2017's Capacity has a keener eye and an intoxicating richness."
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
Big Thief
Additional musicians
Technical personnel
Artwork