The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know

Album Review by Darren Carle | 26 Jan 2012
Album title: No One Can Ever Know
Artist: The Twilight Sad
Label: Fat Cat
Release date: 6 Feb

The new direction that third album No One Can Ever Know maps out for The Twilight Sad shouldn’t be too much of a curveball for avid fans. The trimmed-down Kilsyth trio have always looked to push the envelope, while the long lineage of acts marrying cold, glacial synths to dark and ominous subject matter is well documented.

What is perhaps more marked is how lean and concise this stands in their canon. Multi-instrumentalist Andy MacFarlane’s gritty bass riffs paired with Mark Devine’s metronomic drumming fuel the core tempo, propelling standout cuts like Nil and Kill It In The Morning towards towering climaxes you can feel in your bones from the first listen.

Yet it’s a grower of an album as much as their previous efforts and despite the relative paucity of instrumental layers, it’s a work of great depth that begs many repeat visits. James Graham’s lyrical imagery is a large reason why, conjuring up a brooding landscape that will require some dot-joining from keen ears, whilst striving for a tad more literal resonance this time around. Though it’s possibly not their main goal at this point in time, No One Can Ever Know should see The Twilight Sad stealthily snare a new strand of listeners to their cause.

Download The Twilight Sad's new single Another Bed exclusively via The Skinny here for free.

Playing Jam Jar, Dunfermline on 4 Feb and Grand Ole Opry, Glasgow on 9 Feb http://www.thetwilightsad.com