A Welcome Return
The Twilight Sad are one of those bands who have been hyped in particular circles for a number of years, gaining comparisons with their countrymen Arab Strap and Jesus and Mary Chain among others. There are hints of the lyrical turn of phrase adopted by Idlewild mixed with the visceral energy of Biffy Clyro, but this is where the comparisons should end.
‘Forget The Night Ahead’ steers The Twilight Sad away from shoegazing indie and firmly cements them somewhere on the offbeat side of rock. The tunes remain introspective and soulsearching, with lyrics that tug on your heartstrings: “You and I will bury them all so deep in the snow, And I won’t feed you, feed you to the dogs again” (The Neighbours Can’t Breathe), “You are the bearer of a womb without love” (I Became A Prostitute).
However this musing is underpinned by thick fogs of ambient guitarwork and gritty, grungy riffs, take ‘Floorboards Under The Beds’ as a prime example. The fragile opening vocals are soon met with a burst of fuzzy, frenetic guitars that turns around what could have been a tender folk tune and gives it some real drive. Instrumental ‘Scissors’ also proves the importance of this scuzzy guitarwork to the album as a whole, it emphasises the band’s experimental edge. There’s a real urgency to much of the album, which makes it easy to hold your attention all the way through, although the tunes do sometimes flow into each other a little too easily.
Punchy percussion also plays its role in upping the indie band’s game, the bold marching pace of ‘The Room’ imbues it with a certain wild passion, building up the raging, swelling guitars and trilling vocals. There’s something very raw and very rugged about this number in particular, channelling the wilderness of the band’s homeland.
‘Forget The Night Ahead’ is a strong album with a memorable and striking sound that should really establish The Twilight Sad as a force to be reckoned with for fans of indie with a certain edge.