Source: Album Artwork
Scottish quartet and fan favourite’s Twin Atlantic are set to release the follow up to 2014’s Great Divide. If you don’t know about Twin Atlantic, you must have been living under a rock whilst the four piece have quietly been winning fans all over the world. The rock band delighted fans with new single ‘No Sleep’ , so we couldn’t wait to get stuck into their latest offering; GLA.
GLA displays a rougher side of Twin Atlantic, who have substantially stepped up their intensity and aggression. ‘Gold Elephant : Cherry Alligator’ and ‘Ex El’ are both a lot more brash than what we’re used to from Twin Atlantic, but it’s hard not to wonder if they might be too vocally straining for vocalist Sam McTrusty to perform live. There is a massive range on GLA, and something for every musical taste. Seasoned fans need not worry; although some of the songs are a bit more adventurous than we’ve heard before, they are unmistakably Twin Atlantic, and the band have stuck to what they do best throughout most of this album. ‘I am Alive’ showcases Sam’s extraordinary vocal range, hitting some of the highest notes on the album, and acoustic song ‘A Scar To Hide’ demonstrates that the band are capable of mellowing out in order to showcase there stellar lyric writing and raw talent.
The songs of GLA – from riff, to lyric, to guitarist Barry McKenna’s searing lead lines – are filled with powerful complexity and nuance. The perfectly polished pop songs have been almost entirely ditched and replaced by tracks that are just as compelling, but also with a new depth and sophistication, while never shedding that primal Twin Atlantic kick fuelled by bass player Ross McNae and drummer Craig Kneale. Bursting at the seams with singalong anthems and catchy beats, GLA will secure Twin Atlantic’s position as one of Glasgow’s finest bands, and see them filling stadiums and as regulars on the festival circuit for the foreseeable future.
