New Music: Twin Shadow

By Kate Jacobson, April 2 2015 —

The best thing about Eclipse, the new album from Twin Shadow, is that it doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is. It’s overdramatic pop music, the kind you listen to when you’re walking home drunk after missing the last train.

Soaring vocals combined with thundering background drums ground the album. Every song has a massive chorus and the album is delivered at a frantic pace.

When they work, the songs are punchy and empowering. But when the grandiosity falls flat, the giant instrumentals give songs like “To The Top” and “Alone” an empty feeling.

Nothing about the album is subtle. The best track, done with D’Angelo Lucy, is easily “Old Love / New Love,” where the melody seamlessly combines with a strong piano instrumental. On tracks like “Flatliners” and the eponymous “Eclipse,” the driving instrumentals hit satisfying crescendos.

His lyricism is the weakest part of the album. The record lacks a satisfying arc and the lyrics lean on the side of insipid. But it’s not a folk album, and we’re not here for clever allegorical lyrics. We’re here for bursting synths and distorted riffs that almost collapse on themselves.

When Twin Shadow’s vocals and driving bass lines fail, the album is weak. Fortunately, that doesn’t happen often. Eclipse is a good album to put on rotation because it’s fun and upbeat.

And the album’s ability to stay in the indie rock category while avoiding the pithy instrumentals and crooning voices of the genre is a welcome change.