Album Review: The Twilight Sad - It Won/t Be Like This All The Time

“It’s like a different band almost,” guitarist Andy MacFarlane has said of The Twilight Sad’s new songs. The change is immediately obvious as a charging electronic oscillator initiates the opening of [10 Good Reasons For Modern Drugs], quickly followed by James Alexander Graham’s urgent vocals and some grand, twinkling synth chords. Much like label managers Mogwai, The Twilight Sad has evolved by incorporating electronics, creeping steadily from the back to the front. But it’s still a ruggedly beautiful sound that could only be rooted in the stern but stately architecture and surrounding highlands of Glasgow, Scotland.  

In the band’s words, the aim was to craft songs they would enjoy playing live, and it’s clear that the four-year break hasn’t dampened their energy levels. Although with the move toward stark, icy electronics, the warmth of their previous guitar-driven approach is sometimes sadly absent. Moreover, in grappling with their new direction there’s the odd clunker - hang your head Girl Chewing Gum – but there’s a powerful finish with Videograms and its propulsive chorus. But at its dynamic best, songs such as VTr tug the heartstrings with unsettling undercurrents of conflicting emotion.