Twin Atlantic
Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom | Established. Jan 01, 2009 | INDIE
Music
Press
6 out of 5 - Daily Record
Dubbed your new favourite band on the cover of this week’s Kerrang!, TWIN ATLANTIC’s debut album Free was also named the #9 Album of the Year by Rock Sound Magazine who said they made THE British all-out rock record of 2011. Additionally, their latest single has officially been added to BBC Radio 1′s A-List rotation.
TWIN ATLANTIC recently announced a groundbreaking new promotion in partnership with popular photo social networking site Instagram. The Twinstigram Project’ launched on December 2nd and is the first of its kind. The project pulls in fans’ Instagram uploads tagged with the hashtag #freetwinatlantic and pulls them all into their own grid allowing fans to interact with their own photo socially and share it with friends via e-mail, Facebook and Twitter. Once enough fans have uploaded their photos, exclusive content will be unlocked, such as a FREE download of the Hadouken! remix of the song ‘Make A Beast Of Myself’, very special acoustic videos and more. As the fans’ pictures continue to grow, the photos will be pulled into a mosaic image of the ‘Make A Beast Of Myself’ single cover of the Virgin Mary which will be made into a lithograph composed of all the fans’ images. This very special litho will be available for presale during the promotion, which can be found at www.freetwinatlantic.com.
TWIN ATLANTIC’S critically-lauded debut full-length, FREE, was recorded with legendary producer Gil Norton (Foo Fighters, Pixies, Jimmy Eat World). Free, the follow up to the well-received debut mini-album, Vivarium, expands upon the band’s signature sound, melding angular riffs with energetic choruses. Explosive and hard charging, yet melodic and thoughtful, the tracks cut deep and ring true to the listener, leaving a lasting impression. The album is currently available digitally in the U.S., and will be in stores Spring 2012. - Kerrang! Magazine
For some this full-length from the Scottish rockers have long overdue. Since releasing 'Vivarium' towards the end of 2009, the band have combing their time with touring and recording this record, 'Free'. Its a record that ultimately extends the bands longevity and overall appeal.
Although the opener, 'Edit Me' is somewhat sub-par the driving guitars and if you're familiar with Twin Atlantic you know what you're getting. 'Time For You To Stand Up' brings the album alive with Sam McTrusty's strong Scottish tongue taking centre stage during the soaring chorus. Whilst 'Apocalyptic Renegade' keeps up the momentum, as producer Gil Norton's work has added a large, arena-size feel to the bands sound.
In a similar fashion the title track, 'Free' is powerful and slightly overwhelming as it shows the band have lived up to any potential they had. Whereas tracks like 'Crash Land' and 'Serious Underground Dance Vibes' show the bands ability to produce intimate, softer moments with the latter being an instrumental tack that builds up to a enthralling conclusion that helplessly draws you in.
Although 'Free' leans heavily on the straight up rock side, there are moments where the band are capable of showing their pop sensibilities; 'Dreamember' is a bouncy, energetic number and 'Eight Days' hints at the bands more “mainstream rock” approach.
We can't end this review without mentioning, 'The Ghost Of Eddie' are hard-hittng, onslaught of powerful rock that shows the bands aggressive capabilities. Whilst the final track, 'We Want Better, Man.' sees the band combining their loose rock style with their softer, atmospheric side thus bringing a satisfying conclusion to a record that lives up to expectations.
Much like its title track, 'Free' proves to be consistent and lives off the bands decision to be themselves and not fall into any comparison; not even Biffy Clyro ones. It manages to exceed expectations but at the same time reminds listeners where the band have come from musically, as Twin Atlantic have progressed and developed into a great rock band that will continue to push more doors open for themselves.
4/5 - Alter The Press!
So good we made it our album of the month...
Rating: 9
There was a point during the recording of ‘Vivarium’ where Twin Atlantic feared all was lost. Somewhere in the mixing process the band lost the clarity and power of the songs on their mini-album and, for a few days at least, they feared the entire session was doomed, that all gains made with early EPs was lost and that the Scottish quartet were probably going to be dropped for the mistakes made. To their relief the record was saved, and as promotion work began someone innocently asked the band how they wanted to be represented visually during the forthcoming press campaign. Answering that question led to some decisions, photo shoots and videos that still make certain members of the four-piece wince to this day.
However, without the fraught moments and earnest errors made before, during and after the creation of ‘Vivarium’ (a record the band remain fiercely proud of despite its associated traumas) Twin Atlantic could never have arrived at ‘Free’, their ambitious and truly spectacular debut album. The album’s 13 songs veer from moments that showcase the melodic and ambient side of the band (‘Wonder Sleeps Here’) to statuesque slabs that nod towards the work of Aereogramme and The Dismemberment Plan (‘Serious Underground Dance Vibes’) all while demonstrating a deep love and fine talent for creating big-verse into 10-times-bigger-chorus rock songs that pound serotonin round your frontal lobe (pretty much everything else).
Anthemic, broad and proud, the songs have the sort of compact power and density that only come when crystallised under unique pressures.
Despite their differences all the tracks on ‘Free’ share a common bond and collective intensity that binds them tightly. Working with producer Gil Norton (Foo Fighters, Pixies) has given Twin Atlantic’s first full-length a classic feel and the sense that every song that made it this far through the journey has a genuine importance and sense of place. Lessons learned in the last two years have turned a great band into a potentially awe-inspiring unit that has no tolerance for mediocrity or averageness. With album number one the four gentlemen in the band have shown that their definition of musical success equates to far more than just four decent singles and some filler thrown in to make things look respectable.
‘Free’ is the sound of a band losing the chains, shrugging off disappointment and writing songs that the hairs on the back of their necks adore. To hear a band with such obvious and deep passion playing unencumbered and liberated rock music is an utterly captivating experience that Rock Sound would thoroughly recommend. Holding nothing back sounds exactly like this, everyone else please take note. - Rock Sound
BAND CRUSH: TWIN ATLANTIC
The latest in a long line of awesome Glasgow guitars.
Things history nerds know about Glasgow: It was the birth of the Art Nouveau movement. It funded the first steam-powered cotton mills. Its patron saint is St. Mungo, the same one that guards the mental hospital in Harry Potter.
Things music fans know about Glasgow: Belle and Sebastian. Mogwai. Snow Patrol. Travis. The Fratellis. Franz Ferdinand. Glasvegas. And now there's one more act to add: Twin Atlantic.
The Scottish quartet (Sam, Barry, Ross, and Craig) are native Glaswegians with a big sound and some serious heart - straight off their first landing in an American airport, they climbed onto the stage at South by Southwest and quickly rendered the crowd speechless.
It's not like their sound is new - it's basically power pop with a better accent - but when the boys wail into the microphone, it feels like a direct transfusion of the feelings in their guts. This is what you want to listen to when you're scared. This is what you want to listen to when you're tired, but can't be. This is what you want to listen to when you're about to do something big.
Twin Atlantic plays their first California show on April 4. Go see them if you're out there, and don't forget to use your outdoor voice - these kids are loud.
--FARAN KRENTCIL
- NylonMag.com
"THIS is incredible," grins frontman Sam McTrusty as he gazes out across a seething moshpit that appears to have swallowed the entire venue.
His band, possibly the hottest prospect in British music right now, are here to launch new single What Is Light? Where Is Laughter? and the sell-out crowd are welcoming it in style.
"Step out from the darkness," they roar, arms punching the air in unison, as the Atlantic power through its uplifting chorus.
Some gigs are dazzling, others electrifying. This was both. When they kick off with a blistering version of I Cave In, you get the feeling Dave Grohl would be doing handstands if he has songs this good lined up for the next Foo Fighters LP.
"It's so amazing to be home," says Sam.
And looking out at the ecstatic audience, he's got a point.
The lengthy headline tour they've just done under their own steam has turned them from an excellent band into a great one.
On songs like Time Is The Enemy and Caribbean War Syndrome, bassist Ross McNae and whirlwind drummer Craig Kneale turn in stunning performances, a world-beating rhythm section if ever there was one.
And guitarist/cellist Barry McKenna is on brilliant form, delivering soaring melodies one minute, blistering power chords the next.
When Sam dives into the crowd, still battering out his rhythm guitar parts, during A Guidance From Colour, the excitement levels climb crazily.
And when he yells, "Is there anybody out there?" during the thrill-a-minute version of Audience & Audio, which brings this incredible gig to a climax, the crowd almost drown him out as they sing along.
Twin Atlantic? They're double the fun of most ordinary rock bands. - News of the World
The band will release their second album on August 18 via Red Bull Records. It follows the 2011 release of their last album 'Free' and was recorded in Los Angeles with Jacknife Lee (U2, REM), and at Rockfield in Wales with Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters). It was while working with Norton the band had access to the piano used by Queen when they recorded 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Scroll down for the full album tracklisting.
"90 percent of Great Divide was written in the back of the tour bus," says lead singer Sam McTrusty of the band's effort to make new music while playing 300 gigs supporting 'Free'. "Our adrenaline was through the roof because, for the first time, thousands of people had come to see us. You can’t hear 10,000 people singing a chorus back at you and not be changed by it."
Twin Atlantic are set to perform at T in the Park and The Great Escape later this year and will also play an intimate fan show at the Boston Arms in London on May 14.
Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/twin-atlantic/76923#tMdvPEHAKUe132vZ.99 - NME
Glaswegian bandmates Sam McTrusty, Ross McNae, Craig Kneale and Barry McKenna are Twin Atlantic, the rock four piece whose distinctive sound has taken over our radio waves.
Their latest album, Great Divide, jumped to Number Six on the album charts, and Ross, the band's bassist, pianist and backing vocalist, found a gap in their relentless touring schedule to discuss their recent success.
When Twin Atlantic formed in their late teens, the guys joined Glasgow's pub gigging circuit, gaining a dedicated following and, "listening to more alternative music. Bands like Queens of the Stone Age, who are nowadays headlining festivals but back then were not so mainstream," he says.
Citing "less heard of bands like At the Drive-In, and Oceansize," as their main inspirations, Ross says, "At that age you try and emulate the bands that you're listening to."
The band are the first to admit that their sound has changed since they first formed seven years ago. They've evolved from restless teens into international musicians, home owners and married men. But, Twin Atlantic are still constantly surprised by their own success.
"It's kind of surreal right now, I suppose it will sink in at some point next year..." laughs Ross.
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Twin Atlantic spent last summer tackling the festival circuit, revisiting their muddy teenage haunts but this time at the top of the bill.
"It's just amazing to see people singing along to these little songs that we worked on, and to see people's reactions," Ross says.
The band are fresh off the back of their Scottish tour (every single minute was a highlight") where they enjoyed the support of a home crowd.
The band's latest album, Great Divide, reflects how, "Over the years we've become more comfortable in what our band should be.
"A lot of it is just not being scared anymore to do exactly what we want. Also, your music tastes change so much between the ages of 18 and 26, it's crazy to think that you would continue making the same thing. In the past, if we wanted to have a song that was just piano and vocal, we might have been worried it might sound a bit too poppy, but you know what? That's the music we like, so let's just do it."
Glasgow boys through and through - "if it's a sunny day in Scotland, it's the best place in the world."
Twin Atlantic are now preparing for their UK tour, which includes a date at the Hydro in May.
While Twin Atlantic's schedule seems daunting, Ross and the boys are looking forward to leaving the distractions at home and returning to the tour bus. After all, 90% of Great Divide was written on the road.
"When you're away, you've got the experience of playing a show. It's coming offstage and seeing what worked and what didn't work and thinking about what song you want to have in your set. We always try to play the best possible show and when you come off stage that's right at the forefront of your mind, that feeling of 'I wish we had 'this'".
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The band may be still searching for their elusive 'this', but judging from recent developments, Twin Atlantic are well on course to find it.
Twin Atlantic's new album, Great Divide, is out now. The band will play the Hydro on May 9. - EVENING TIMES
Discography
Great Divide (2014)
Free (2011)
Vivarium (2009)
A Guidance From Colour (2008)
Audience and Audio (2007)
Photos
Bio
That much of Great Divide was written in the back of tour buses, late at night, after Twin Atlantic had stepped off yet another festival stage is evident from first listen. Addictive, arms-aloft anthems with instantly catchy choruses and refrains that beg to be howled back dominate the Glaswegian band’s glorious second album. Bristling with energy and oozing optimism, Great Divide is a rock record with widescreen ambition, inspired by the band watching their own fans and from sharing stages with the likes of Springsteen and Foo Fighters.
“Our aim was always to make songs this size,” says Twin Atlantic singer Sam McTrusty. “Coming from a punk rock background, it took a while - we like to say we went the scenic route. But it was the right route for us, full of interesting stops on which we learnt a lot – about ourselves, about each other, about how to make music that connects with fans which is always honest, never forced.”
Almost three years and over 300 gigs since the release of their silver-selling, debut album, Free, catapulted them from clubs to sold-out shows at Shepherds Bush Empire and the main stage at Reading and Leeds, Twin Atlantic have made a mainstream record that marries their incredible energy live with a more mature approach to songwriting that acknowledges their long-held love of pop. Great Divide may be driven by guitars and drums, but it is also steeped in piano and strings, built on soaring melodies and littered with lyrics, sung in McTrusty’s strong Scottish accent, that express grown-up emotions as chantalong slogans.
“We’ve been through our punk rock rebellion phase and come out the other side,” laughs McTrusty. “We’ve all grown up being in this band. Dare I say it, we’re finally fully-formed adults. Since Free, some of us have got married and bought our own places and I’ve spent time in Canada because my girlfriend lives there. When the four of us got back together to work on this album, there was no bullshit. With our own lives sorted, it was easier to see the point of the songs and how we wanted them to sound. And, definitely, part of that was embracing pop.”
Pop hooks and harmonies abound on songs such as Hold On, an ode to self-belief driven by drums it’s difficult not to dance to. ‘It’s a risk worth taking/To have a life worth living’ sings McTrusty on a huge, hooky chorus that’s a surefire summer singalong. The stunning Brothers And Sisters, set to shimmering guitars, bulked up by multi layered vocals and boasting a soft-loud dynamic is a collective call-to-arms dedicated to those who refuse to give up on their dreams.
Flamboyant first single Heart and Soul is a dirty rock stomper that sums up the shared feelings of a bouncing festival crowd, nods to both classic Bon Jovi and Queen and has already moved George Ergatoudis, Radio 1’s head of music, to tweet ‘Hyperbole alert. No joke - STUNNING does not do them justice.’
Twin Atlantic formed in 2007 when McTrusty and bassist Ross McNae, a friend from school, joined forces with drummer Craig Kneale and lead guitarist and occasional cello player Barry McKenna. All four had been in previous bands on the Glasgow scene. They bonded over a shared love of alternative rock, punk-pop and the city’s skate and street art scene, as well as a determination to make music their day jobs. Their ferocious shows soon saw them booked to support Smashing Pumpkins, Biffy Clyro and their teen idols Blink 182. Within two years, they had played most major UK festivals and been signed, following a tip-off from Alan McGee, to American label Red Bull Records.
“Our A&R person saw us at this strange snowboarding Channel 4 gig at Battersea Power Station,” recalls Kneale. “We pure went for it at that show, not because we knew anyone was watching, but because we were fucking freezing. We were surrounded by fake snow, our hands so cold we couldn’t hold our guitars. Either we went for it or we froze. Our A&R said it was the craziest gig he’d ever witnessed.”
A mini album, Vivarium, released in 2009, found Twin Atlantic fans in Kerrang!, saw them tour Europe and the States, play festivals including Download and Sonisphere and support My Chemical Romance. Free, their debut proper, followed two years later, boasting three singles playlisted by Radio 1, including the title track, which soundtracked Felix Baumgartner’s historic space jump in 2012.
Most of Great Divide was written last year, while Twin Atlantic were still touring Free.
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