Ember Twin is an alternative Industrial band that consists of William E (guitar, vocals), Mikael (drums) and Malin (bass), hailing from Gävle, Sweden. In recent years, the city has received much international attention due to its large Yule Goat figure made of straw. The goat is erected in December and is often subsequently vandalised, usually by being set afire. The goat has now become a symbol for the city and has managed to survive the last three festive seasons intact. The trio are multi-instrumentalists that handle everything from writing to recording to production. They released their debut album “In Shapes” in 2017, a further EP “Nothing” in 2018 and have a new album “Let Us In”
This release opens with `Out Of Light` which has a repetitive pounding beat with some pleasant key discords throughout but quite bizarre lyrics. An interesting introduction for me to the band. There`s a more sleezy grungy feel to `Fur` with vocals distantly almost remotely shared. I wasn`t sure if the tagline of “I want your fur” was a sexual reference or not but an enjoyable cut, nevertheless.
`Don`t be Yourself` has an accelerated, fast paced electronic beat, that hinted at Dead or Alive`s “You Spin Me Round” the lyrics of “This is what you`ve got to be, this is what you`re meant to be, this is what you`ve got to be, don`t be yourself” and underlying statement of “Be Nothing Be Free” blended well with the musical discord. There`s a club vibe to `Act` with its quickened hypnotic melodic beat, The lyrics of “you, you don’t know me, you act like it, but you don`t know shit” seem to emphasise a perception of the narrator`s disconnection from society.
We have a fairly entrancing instrumental with `Another Place` a quite laid back, chilled out offering with everyday sounds blended alongside and sometimes over the music. There`s an expansive slow start to `10 Inch Tall` a song that seemed to be crooned through a vocoder. It has a dreamlike feel but seems to relay a tale of a nightmarish scenario.
There`s a more aggressive perception to `I Miss Myself` with the vain raconteur spouting egotistical musings such as “I miss myself more than I miss you.” A number that wouldn`t be out of place in a Sisters Of Mercy set. The tempos throughout `Happy Birthday` vary from a slow to a faster pace constantly but there`s a recurring key pitch that links throughout the piece. I wasn`t sure whether this was a tale of a broken romance or a sarcastic passing of the ways. The album bows out with an interesting cover of fellow countrymen Teddybears `Punkrocker` which they really make their own. They give it an interesting turn without obliterating any of the antagonism or belligerence of the original.
I had not heard of Ember Twin but found an awful lot to enjoy with this release, enough so to tempt me to peruse their back catalogue. They wear their influences on their sleeve such as Gary Numan, Nine Inch Nails and Kraftwerk but have more than enough originality about them.
The words even stories can be slightly surreal and vague, almost Kafkaesque at times but set to melodic and enjoyable musical interludes. If you like to mix your alternative / industrial rock with a slice of synth-punk, you could do worse than tune into Ember Twin.
Rating 8/10
