Twin Atlantic - Power
Glasgow based Alt-rock band Twin Atlantic have been making music together since 2007. Their latest album, “Power” is a refreshing change in what can often be an all too predictable genre, showing what a band can produce if they stray even slightly from the norm. Favoring synth over the heavy guitar of their 2016 album (GLA), the new sound is reminiscent of mid 80’s New Order, particularly the track Ultraviolet Truth.
So far they have released two singles from the album, Novacaine and Barcelona, both of which focus on vocalist Sam McTrusty’s unmistakably heartfelt lyrics, with Novacaine taking a slightly heavier, almost poppy approach compared to Barcelona’s more emotional, slightly slower take on their usual sound. The song pairs back the other instruments, leaving the drums and vocals to create the backbone of the track.
If I was going to make any sort of negative comment I would say that pretty much all of the songs on the album are very much the same pace, with even Messiah, which builds slowly, reaching a pretty heavy climax about a minute and a half in. I couldn’t even call this a drawback particularly, as every song is great in its own right, and recognizably different from the last, but when listening to the album as a whole, there is a certain predictability about it.
Despite this, “Power” is an accomplished album from a group of practiced, capable musicians, with great competence in their craft. It’s a fresh change from Twin Atlantic’s previous work, while still maintaining their established identity as a band, and without losing the heavier rock elements of their music, which is undeniably what they do best, particularly within an ever-evolving music scene. I did enjoy the album a lot, and it’s going on the Spotify playlist for sure.
7.5/10
