Twin Berlin - There Goes My Virtue - EP Review!
★★★★
Twin Berlin, the Boston based indie, alternative rock band have hit the scenes once more with the release of their new EP, 'There Goes My Virtue'. With a band comprising of three members, Matt Lopez (vocals/guitar), Sean O’Neil (bass) and James Janocha (drums), their latest 2012 release sees the band not only gaining a whole lot more recognition, but also a more experimental, indie sound. The band were lucky enough to get Travis Barker (drummer for the punk rock band Blink-182) to produce and record the EP as well as the late Mikey Welsh from alternative band Weezer creating the artwork for the band, which is quite amazing and will definitely help to get more recognition in the long run.
Twin Berlin, the Boston based indie, alternative rock band have hit the scenes once more with the release of their new EP, 'There Goes My Virtue'. With a band comprising of three members, Matt Lopez (vocals/guitar), Sean O’Neil (bass) and James Janocha (drums), their latest 2012 release sees the band not only gaining a whole lot more recognition, but also a more experimental, indie sound. The band were lucky enough to get Travis Barker (drummer for the punk rock band Blink-182) to produce and record the EP as well as the late Mikey Welsh from alternative band Weezer creating the artwork for the band, which is quite amazing and will definitely help to get more recognition in the long run.I personally like the artwork as I feel it is colourful and quirky, which is completely different to the bands' previous albums, such as Youth Scenes, which were much more darker in both colour and sound. I actually like the way that the brightness of the artwork contrasts with the theme. For example, when listening to this album, I got the feeling that the theme is quite negative. Just reading the titles of the song gives the jig up. Songs like Don't Hang Around and Give Up On Me aren't necessarily about frolicking through the meadows on a bright summers day.
When listening to the actual album,. I was surprised to find that the vocals of Lopez and the sound of the band sounded ridiculously similar to The Strokes. Then, when listening to it further, I thought that the vocals sounded similar to the vocals of Australian alternative rock band, Jet. There's nothing wrong with this, but perhaps the band need to develop more of their own individual sound, something that makes them set them apart from the other bands.
Nevertheless, the fast-paced rhythms and repetitive hooks are very effective and it's not long until these songs have wormed their way into your head. While the first two songs on the EP are The Strokes meet Jet, the latter song has a slightly different sound. The intro has a slightly ambiguous feel to it as the guitar starts up and the bass joins in a few seconds later.
Overall, I would award this EP 4/5 stars! The music of the band itself is very good, however, like I've mentioned, the music does sound very similar to many other bands and I would suggest perhaps being a bit more experimental and try out different sounds and see which one works best. Check out their single from the EP and their thoughts on working with Travis Barker below!
Music Bloggery Recommends: Can't Take, Take, Take, Don't Hang Around, Give Up On Me