Song · Big Thief
“Simulation Swarm” by Big Thief
From the album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (2022)
“Simulation Swarm” by Big Thief appears on 18 radio countdowns from 13 stations between 2022 and 2026. It was first released in 2022 on the album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You. Its best result is #2 on the Impact 89FM Top 89 Songs of 2022. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #37 alternative song of 2022 and #228 of the '20s.
Watch
Video from YouTube (Big Thief). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Simulation Swarm" surfaced in February 2022 on Big Thief's Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, and it's the kind of song that sneaks up on you rather than knocking on the door. Adrianne Lenker wrote it and sings it, playing both acoustic and electric guitar, while Buck Meek threads guitar and bass lines around her and Mat Davidson drops in piano.
James Krivchenia keeps the pulse on drums and shakers, and he also produced and mixed the track, with Shawn Everett engineering and adding production of his own. The result is loose and warm, a band playing in a circle rather than at you, with Lenker's voice drifting over a gentle, rolling groove that never hurries.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 26 | 90.9 The Bridge Kansas City, MO | 90.9 The Bridge Top 90 Songs of 2022 | 90 |
| 2022 | 12 | The Current Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | The Current Top 89 Songs of 2022 | 89 |
| 2022 | 30 | Lightning 100 Nashville, TN | Lightning 100 Top 200 Songs of 2022 | 200 |
| 2022 | 6 | WFUV New York, NY | WFUV Top 90 Songs of 2022 | 90 |
| 2022 | 2 | Impact 89FM Lansing, MI | Impact 89FM Top 89 Songs of 2022 | 89 |
| 2022 | 25 | 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) | WEQX Top 102.7 of 2022 | 103 |
| 2022 | 11 | Exit 97.7 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | WEXT Top 97 of 2022 | 97 |
| 2022 | 56 | WTMD Baltimore, MD | WTMD Top 89 Songs of 2022 | 90 |
| 2022 | 7 | KXT Dallas–Fort Worth, TX | KXT Top 91.7 Songs of 2022 | 92 |
| 2022 | 3 | Indie 102.3 Denver, CO | Indie 102.3 Top 102.3 Songs of 2022 | 103 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 261 | WYEP | WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 | 1229 |
| 2024 | 413 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century | 1055 |
| 2024 | 352 | WXPN | WXPN The 885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century (2024) | 885 |
| 2025 | 281 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 21st Century | 909 |
| 2025 | 535 | The Current | 893 Essential Songs of The Current: 2005 to Now | 893 |
| 2025 | 409 | WYEP | WYEP Best Songs of the 21st Century (So Far) | 714 |
| 2026 | 36 | KXT | KXT 917 Song Countdown | 917 |
| 2026 | 452 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs You Discovered on The Colorado Sound | 1055 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Simulation Swarm" by Big Thief.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.