Music Reviews
Mr Twin Sister

Mr Twin Sister Mr Twin Sister

(Twin Group) Rating - 7/10

Long Island quintet Mr Twin Sister were one of the more popular bands to spring out of the now disparaged chillwave movement. Since the remnants of such scene have vanished altogether, many of its notable acts have looked for ways to redefine themselves through drastic reinvention. Or as is typically the case, have sought new trends to compensate for their creative limitations. So there’s something suspiciously fallow about the band’s latest self-titled release - their once dreamy dance sketches are now a little bit more seductive and controlled, taking cues from seventies soft rock while incorporating faint elements of eighties smooth jazz. There’s something instantly evocative about its presentation, deploying a smattering of gaudy synth-scapes that perfectly conjure the barren isolation of a nocturnal landscape.

“You’re giving me affection/ it’s never enough”, coos Goldilocks-like singer Andrea Estella in a raspy tone with quiet defeat in opening track Sensitive, driving back home after a bittersweet night as the misty streaks of dawn begin to unfold. It opens with a slick veneer of savvy sophistication, an aura of pearly white that leads into the throbbing, unhip bounce of Rude Boy. Rude Boy isn’t coy about its dramatic gestures, extracting the smooth sounds of Philadelphia Soul with the light disco that made an impression in some of their debut’s best songs. Most of the album carries itself with a graceful saunter, and as expected, loungy piano strokes and protracted sax notes makes appearances to denote a certain idea of what chart pop used to sound like, say, thirty to thirty five years ago. And other times, like in the playfully sinister Out of the Dark, Estella struts her inner Madonna over a deep house groove; it’s part of the album’s more clubby middle portion, which samples a more abstract form of dance before it changes back into a more sullenly atmospheric finish. 

At a brisk 8 songs and 37 minutes, Mr Twin Sister doesn’t overstay its welcome, even if it never really sustains one mood throughout its duration. What gives it extra traction is Estella’s willingness to take command, though her amorous tendencies over lyrics riddled with sentimental impulses are both hit and miss. So it’s best to think of Mr Twin Sister as a transitional phase in their career, one that manages to simulate the album format as it brings closure to its opening narrative. There’s a painterly precision at hand, and it contains different moments of being in a collection of songs that opt for style over engaging storytelling. It’s an evocative listen, though they can’t quite break the compulsion to play around with passing fads.