“The words I need are on the tip of my tongue, I can see it – make it happen – wait and see.”
The space in which Twin Princess occupies is one of treacherous waters. While the broader landscape of indie and pop harbours some of the greatest creative voices of the generation and beyond, it’s a space in which it’s easy to get lost in the weeds somewhat. However, once in a while, a bright, new contender pops out of the greenery to introduce itself, and one of the newest faces in that world is Twin Princess.
While the project has existed in the public eye for just north of three years now, 2023 sees Twin Princess gearing up for their longest and most sprawling project to date with Blood Moon. An eight-track, 30-minute foray into the indie pop space, Blood Moon sees the up-and-comers reaching into the many, truly deep corners of their influences to provide a colourful and incredibly well-realised take on the indie pop sound.
From its opening moments in “Flood”, it’s abundantly clear there’s something more going on here than your typical indie romp. Spacious, sparse and swirling soundscapes line Blood Moon’s cold open, before the track drops into a relatively more subdued, folky style in its opening verse. Often evoking a very José González-esque sound in its clean guitar and vocal passages, “Flood” showcases just one dynamic element of Twin Princess’ wide-reaching, yet distinct sound.
Following tracks “Allston” and “Violets” markedly provide more energy. Driving drums permeate much of both tracks, particularly in the latter which sees a great juxtaposition present between the subdued, delicate, verby vocals of Pauli Mia and the relatively high-energy instrumentation. What’s certainly present here too, that remains a theme throughout Blood Moon, is some truly magnificent synth work. “Allston” truly excels in this way, with a fun, pulsating bass synth lining its main verses, providing a contrastingly electronic presence among a generally band-centric soundscape.
Mid-album cut, and title track “Blood Moon” proves to be one of the EP’s most electrifying cuts, showcasing Twin Princess’ broad sonic palette like almost no other here. Opening with an almost country-esque slide-guitar riff, and slowly crescendoing into a progressively louder sonic space all the way to its conclusion, Blood Moon’s title track provides a great sense of dynamics across the band’s broad sound.
Other highlights include following cuts “CVS” and “Pink Light”, the latter of which has this undeniable groove present within it, driven by a smooth bass line and another steady build of energy throughout its runtime. Often evoking a sense of if Ultraviolence-era Lana Del Rey tried her hand at a noisy, synthy, indie pop number, “Pink Light” is a truly impressive and remarkable slice of indie goodness.
The record’s final two tracks in “Pasadena” and “Blue Echo Window” see the energy return to something closer to that of its introductory portions, with more subdued energetic peaks and creatively sparse production, Twin Princess close out Blood Moon on an earned lull in its sonic vibrancy. While a couple of more moments of noisy, textured and rocky musicality in the vein of “Blood Moon” and “Pink Light” would have been welcome, Twin Princess certainly showcase a masterful level of juxtaposition within the album’s closing half that is laudable.
By its end, it’s certainly true that Blood Moon left me yearning for more. A combination of well-realised influences, often lurking in the in-between of more folk-leaning sounds a la José González; and the floaty, ethereal alt-pop of Ultraviolence-era Lana Del Rey; Pauli Mia et al provide an engaging and utterly gorgeous indie pop romp on Blood Moon. While some more of the louder moments would have truly elevated this project to a new height for me, with this concise, 30-minute bout of swirling soundscapes, lined with undeniable vocal and production chops, Twin Princess have proven that they are a force to be reckoned with in the broader landscape of indie and pop.
8.5/10
Blood Moon is due for release this Friday, May 26th via self-release, and you can pre-order the album here. For more on Twin Princess, check out our interview with vocalist Pauli Mia here.