When Melbourne five-piece Twin Beasts released their new single ‘Badlove’ late in 2013, it was heralded as a sign of great things to come. Formerly known as the Toot Toot Toots, the group’s renaming brought with it a song that showcased alt-country storytelling at its finest. Racked with the anguished, guttural cries of a man whose emotional affair with an off-key choir girl tortures him every time he goes to church, ‘Badlove’ set the benchmark for the dark yet exalted ballads that make up the sophomore album of the same name.

Kicking off with ‘Sweet Marie’, listeners are thrown deep into a disorienting but wonderful combination of yin and yang vocals, tight drums and catchy melodies. It’s blatant single material but the album is packed with similarly lovable tunes – not one track is filler and all present a unique story, mixing light-hearted innocence with the murky undertones of a very personal hell.

Each song is heavily layered, and with every listen there’s another lyrical or musical gem waiting to be found. Take ‘Together Lonely’, a sultry love song that swings between 1960s surf-rock and country ballad – it feels rare to hear this complexity in Australian rock and there’s something fascinating about the way each piece on the record unfolds, each story becoming part of the larger patchwork quilt of hot, dry grass, sticky carpets and treacherous love affairs.

For each drawling, staggering lament laden song such as ‘I’m No Good’ or ‘Let It Die’, there’s a rollicking rampage like ‘Wicked Boys’, best for thrashing around in a muggy, crowded band room. But more than anything Badlove is powerful; rollicking and loud while also being incredibly intense and soulful. It’s versatile, exciting and an extremely promising start to 2014 for Twin Beasts.

‘Badlove’ Tour Dates

Thursday 29th May – The Steyne, Manly
Friday 30th May – FBi Social, Sydney
Saturday 31st May – Rad Bar, Wollongong
Friday 6th June – The Corner, Melbourne
Thursday 12th June – The Loft, Gold Coast
Friday 13th June – Solbar, Maroochydore
Saturday 14th June – Beetle Bar, Brisbane
For info and tickets visit www.twinbeasts.com

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