Mr Twin Sister, formerly the non-gendered Twin Sister, have had quite the eventful couple of years. In 2013 alone, lead signer Andrea Estella was diagnosed with MS, they parted ways with Domino Records and experienced a tragic car crash mid-tour. What followed was a return to their roots and to simpler recording practices. Considering their Domino Records debut In Heaven is more of a "learning experience in studio experimentation than a proper debut," according to the band, you could argue that their new self-titled album is their real debut.
It's an intriguingly misleading album, one that shifts and winds as it progresses and that constantly defies expectations. In less capable hands, Mr Twin Sister might have come off as a haphazard collage of sounds and ideas, but instead the album feels more like taking a journey with the band, one that has no defined itinerary or destination. Moments like the transition between "Blush" and "Out of the Dark" are particularly jarring, but they're also what make the album work. The band touch on various sound palettes and influences, covering everything from techno to indie pop and soul. After the industrial techno-lite "Twelve Angels," the quintet let the album die down, like the morning-after comedown, with the Long Island-inspired instrumental "Medford" and album closer "Crime Scene" announcing the end of the journey together. And if nothing else, it's always the journey that counts.
(Infinite Best)It's an intriguingly misleading album, one that shifts and winds as it progresses and that constantly defies expectations. In less capable hands, Mr Twin Sister might have come off as a haphazard collage of sounds and ideas, but instead the album feels more like taking a journey with the band, one that has no defined itinerary or destination. Moments like the transition between "Blush" and "Out of the Dark" are particularly jarring, but they're also what make the album work. The band touch on various sound palettes and influences, covering everything from techno to indie pop and soul. After the industrial techno-lite "Twelve Angels," the quintet let the album die down, like the morning-after comedown, with the Long Island-inspired instrumental "Medford" and album closer "Crime Scene" announcing the end of the journey together. And if nothing else, it's always the journey that counts.
