Album Review: Twin Atlantic Free

Glaswegians Twin Atlantic emerge from the shadow of their 2009 debut album Vivarium with newbie Free, and while diehards will find solace in Sam McTrusty's brutish vocals and the all-dials-to-11 approach, many perhaps feel a bit like they've been bopped in the face by a wiry boy scout. It just lacks some virility.

Gone from Free is the Scot swagger that had Blink-182, Smashing Pumpkins, and countrymen Biffy Clyro calling up for tour support, only to be replaced by unvarying structures and a delivery that gets old real quick. There's no denying the indulgent brash vocals and slabs of chunky riffs in the upbeat  Edit Me, and Make A Beast Of Myself, The Ghost Of Eddie and Eight Days thankfully revive the foursome's penchant for slurred vocals and punchy, offbeat rhythms and fuzzy distortion; this is Twin Atlantic at their best. Even so, the general output suffers as there are simply not enough hooky lines or memorable anthems to lift the album above being slightly less than ordinary. McTrusty's bonny accent is the only distinctive claim and even that starts to grate after a while.

Letting the ship sail with Free is disappointing as there are odd moments where the boys let contrivance go and just let rip. However you won't find them in Yes, I Was Drunk, or Serious Underground Dance Vibes – here the lyrics, structure and delivery all sound forced and it all gets as silly as the song titles themselves. What's left is a sense that the individual tracks have been slap-dashed together without any consideration for the whole, resulting in a sound stuck in a quagmire and a largely forgettable record.