Band: Twin Forks
Release: Twin Forks LP
Release Date: Out Now
Twin Forks is a relatively new venture by Dashboard Confessional‘s Chris Carrabba, and also features members from the bands The Narrative and Bad Books, making them a kind of indie supergroup. A stark contrast to the emo rock that came from Camp Dashboard, “Twin Forks LP” is full of tales of folk life and love. Featuring the five tracks from the band’s previous release, also eponymously titled “Twin Forks EP“, and seven new tracks that have been previously unheard, this is an incredible gem of a record that impresses from start to finish without getting sloppy anywhere. If you’re having a bad day and need cheering up, this one is definitely for you.
Starting off with “Can’t Be Broken” which was also featured on the EP, it’s already clear right off the bat that this is a project unlike any Carrabba has ever done before. Sugar sweet lyric themes and the kind of melodies that you can imagine yourself dancing to in a middle-of-nowhere dive bar, there’s no doubt that this song has the magical ability to lift your spirits. In fact, every song on this record has it, leaving it with that ‘must-play-on-repeat-everyday’ quality. “Kiss Me Darlin” is a new track, featuring a vocal solo from mandolinist/sometimes-vocalist Suzie Zeldin which shows off her amazing voice, and a slower pace than a majority of the record. It’s a welcome change, giving this album a good kind of volatility that makes it even more spectacular. It might not feature the huge choruses that the rest of the tracks do, but it’s a remarkable love song that can be lovingly passed on.
There’s not a moment in which Twin Forks don’t pull together, and that’s clear in tracks “Danger“, “Reasoned And Roughened” and “Plans“; all brand new songs, which carry on that pattern of sweet folk rock while still being unique in their own right. Next track “Done Is Done” has a slighter darker vibe to it and sounds rather reminiscent, which makes it most similar to Carrabba‘s previous projects.
Twin Forks are clearly not aiming to make music that fans of Dashboard Confessional will be particularly in to, but are trying to impress a new market which is going pretty successfully if their thriving fanbase is anything to go by. “Twin Forks LP” is an excellent mix of older fan favorites and newer firecrackers, proving it to be an offering of strong material that will have you dancing around the room and singing along.
9/10
