Twin Atlantic - Transparency

‘Transparency’ is not an album Twin Atlantic expected to make. Isolating at home as a new parent, vocalist Sam McTrusty started to write. Producer Jacknife Lee stepped in remotely and an album capturing the turbulent chaos of the last years began to take shape. Unlike anything the band have released before, it unfolds as a series of personal rants, observations, and musings mirroring the experience of many. Enveloped in Twin Atlantic’s most playful sound to date, the record touches on everything from anger, despondency, self-deprecation, loneliness, social media, and Brexit. Its mantra appears up front on opener ‘Keep Your Head Up’, a celebration of community, cemented by Sam’s ode to the power of self-belief on the raucously bonkers ‘One Man Party’. The candid lyrics sit against a paradoxically carefree sound, one that is destined to surprise long-time fans. It all feels like something of a middle finger to expectation and convention, a learning shared by many over the past two years. The record spans from spoken word to ‘70s funk and ‘80s glam rock, dabbling in balladry and power pop. It may not be the most polished or serious piece of art to emerge from the pandemic, but it’s impossible to deny the sheer amount of personality and unashamed frivolity bubbling out of ‘Transparency’.