Mr Twin Sister – Blush
SoundCloud
One band I’ve always seen great potential in is Mr Twin Sister (formerly known without the gender specific prefix). With their undeniable knack for excavating fidgety rhythms and hooks from lo-fi materials and low rent aesthetics, they’ve gradually built a respectable following. And after building that fan base for the past four years comes the opportunity to really stand out and make a name for themselves, a feat which their self-titled sophomore takes a huge leap towards achieving.
The amendment to the quintet’s name might seem like a minor point, and I suppose on paper it is, but the change comes at a pretty apt time. As Mr Twin Sister the group deal with a shift in identity, so does Mr Twin Sister the record. Fragments of their glacial pop and their feverish flirtations with disco are still floating amongst their creative pool, only this time around they’ve been blown up and given a multi-dimensional makeover.
“Out of the Dark” is a neon lit, squelchy, groove-fest that poses curiosity towards transgender lifestyles, whilst provoking spontaneous dancing, whether you want to or not. “In The House of Yes” splices straight up pop with elements of classic house music, saxophone included! “Rude Boy” has a ripe, refreshing, summer vibe built on vintage sun kissed synths, and “Twelve Angels” delivers a darker streak, one that pitches you quasi techno beats and goblin like vocals. Yes thats right, techno and goblins! I’ll give you a second to let that sink in.
What’s great about these changes is, not only do they work incredibly well, but they work with heavy odds stacked against them. At every left turn, the album could end up sounding so wrong, yet there’s enough control, composure and cool behind these big ideas that pretty much every alteration ends up sounding so right! It dares to challenge both itself and the listener, and for the most part, it passes with flying technicolors!
To say that album number two is a more experimental endeavour for Mr Twin Sister is putting it mildly, but rather than completely reinvent themselves, the group has taken on board what works and built around those aspects. On one hand, the record does feel like a brave adventure into new ground, but there’s also a sense of natural expansion tying things together throughout. Although perhaps too short to show the full scale of what their reinvigorated approach is capable of accomplishing, what we are given with this record is more than enough to show how much this group has grown.
Most improved outfit of the year? More than likely. Unexpected, dark horse, odd indie pop album of the year? It’s definitely looking that way.
