Been a fan of TWIN ATLANTIC ever since my record rep at the time, Bebop, said I should give them a listen. She knew what music I liked and never failed me. It’s probably the one thing I miss about working in radio, the connection of music lover to music lover.
Anywho…back to TWIN ATLANTIC. The Scottish band released POWER in January 2020 and man did it get me through the first wave of the pandemic and now with the third wave in effect, the band has released TRANSPARENCY.
I have been itching for this album since they released a few tracks to tease a new album was on the way. So let’s jump in and break it all down.
Keep Your Head Up – the album opens with this beautiful piano based ballad. The beauty of the music is a contrast to the lyrics which are not lovey dovey. The two elements are a stunning yin yang to each other.
One Man Party – this is one dancey jam. One cannot simply listen to this without getting into the groove and if you are able to sit still, check your pulse my friend.
Get Famous – my favourite thing about this song is the stream of consciousness feel it has before it breaks into the chorus. The thoughts of a human trying to or who is “famous”. I am starting to think that like gender, famous is just a construct but that’s a conversation for another day. For me, I interpret this song to poke fun at the so-called “influencers”.
Young – man the beats in this absolutely slap. For those that like to clap along to song, this is your song. Clap your little hearts out my friends. But it’s this lyric that clenches the song for me: “You can’t get lost if you stay in the car…” Man. What a line.
Haunt – when I first heard this song, it was one of those songs I didn’t really pay attention to lyrically or musically, but the more I played this album, the more this song stood out. It was the simple drum beat that infected my brain. I found myself kind of humming and tapping along. Like the title goes, the song just haunted me.
Dance Like Your Mother – Sam had me hooked with his “falsetto”, the beat kept my attention, and the rest is history. It’s great little upbeat track.
Dirty – holy shit does this song give me Dave Gahan and Depeche Mode feels. I had to check more than once that Dave and crew were not credited for contributing to this song. It is the unsung hero of the album. It’s a fucking jam.
Bang on the Gong – in-fucking-fectious. This song is f’n brilliant from lyric to music. It’s just…AHHHH! I don’t even have the words to describe how much I love this song. It’s just good. Damn good. Damn. Good.
It’s Getting Dark – if I had to pick a track that wasn’t my favourite, it’s this one. There’s nothing wrong with it. The music is simple and the lyrics are beautiful but it’s the autotune that ruins it for me. For me, it was really unnecessary addition to a good song.
Instigator – the one thing the guys in Twin Atlantic know is an infectious and catchy beat. They are experts at it. Other bands could learn from them. This track is them showing off their talent. I get a little U2 feel in the drumming and bass and it’s beautiful. For me, it’s the surprise track. One you find yourself coming back to again and again.
FAVORITE TRACK: It’s a tie between “Bang on the Gong” and “Dirty”
MUST LISTEN TRACK: “Dirty”
RATING OUT OF 5 ROCK HANDS: 4 🤘🤘🤘🤘