Twin Atlantic are a Scottish alternative rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. The group currently consists of Sam McTrusty (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Ross McNae (bass). Lead guitarist Barry McKenna departed from the band in 2019, but continues to perform with the band at their live shows. Craig Kneale (drums) "decided to step back" from the band in September 2021, just a day after the release of their song "One Man Party" from their then most recent album Transparency. They have released seven albums: Vivarium, Free, Great Divide, GLA, Power, Transparency and Meltdown. Their highest-charting single is "Heart and Soul" from Great Divide, which peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart.[2] On 2 June 2016, Annie Mac premiered "No Sleep" as the Hottest Record in the World on BBC Radio 1[3] and announced their album GLA, subsequently released on 9 September 2016.
History
Formation, A Guidance from Colour (2006–2008)
Twin Atlantic formed in 2006. All members previously played in other small local bands. During 2007 they built up a strong reputation both locally and nationally. Twin Atlantic supported Circa Survive and mewithoutYou before recording their debut EP A Guidance from Colour at Long Wave Studio in Cardiff with producer Romesh Dodangoda (Funeral for a Friend, Kids in Glass Houses, the Blackout). This culminated in the release of their first single, "Audience & Audio", on 24 December 2007 and debut EP on 14 January 2008.
Building on support from Kerrang! and a loyal fan base, the band's profile was boosted enough for them to land support slots with Biffy Clyro and they were personally chosen by Jimmy Chamberlin to support Smashing Pumpkins at Glasgow's SECC in early February.[citation needed] Over the following months, they also supported American acts the Matches, Finch and Say Anything on their respective UK tours.
The band signed a single deal with King Tut's Recordings, and "What Is Light? Where Is Laughter?" was released on 29 September 2008. They also completed a joint headline tour of Scotland with the Xcerts and their first set of solo headline dates across the UK.
Vivarium (2009–2010)
In March 2009, Twin Atlantic released their debut mini-album, Vivarium.[4] They released the lead single "Lightspeed" as a free download from their website on 29 July 2009, with a bonus acoustic version of the track also available. The follow-up single "You're Turning Into John Wayne" was released on 7 September 2009, with the mini-album released a week later.
Twin Atlantic played at the sold-out Belsonic festival in Belfast on 28 August 2010 supporting Biffy Clyro.[5]
Following a sold-out show at Glasgow's ABC, they landed the dream slot of supporting Blink-182 on their reunion tour in Scotland in August 2010.[6]
On 21 October 2010, the band announced, that they would be supporting My Chemical Romance for three upcoming dates.[7]
Free (2011–2013)
Twin Atlantic finished recording their album Free and it was released on 29 April 2011 in the Republic of Ireland and 2 May 2011 in the United Kingdom.[8] The album's first single was "Edit Me", released on 14 February.[9]
Second single "Free" was first played on BBC Radio 1 on the Zane Lowe show on 10 March[citation needed]. The third single released was "Time For You To Stand Up" on 11 July,[10] with "Cherry Slut" and "Babylonian Throwdown" as B-sides. On 26 September, a fourth single was released from the album; "Make A Beast Of Myself", including the B-side "Your Amazing Lying, Lion, Lie In".
Twin Atlantic released their album Great Divide in August 2014. In February 2014, Twin Atlantic joined Thirty Seconds to Mars on the second part of their European Arena tour.
On 23 April 2014 the band's third studio album Great Divide was announced, with a release date of 18 August 2014.
Twin Atlantic did a four-date tour in support of the album, playing Brixton Academy in London and they sold out their hometown show at Glasgow's SSE Hydro. During the summer of 2015, the band performed at several festivals including Glastonbury Festival and T in the Park festival at the new site at Strathallan Castle. The band headlined the BBC Radio 1 Stage on Saturday at T in the Park 2015. They concluded their album campaign at Reading and Leeds Festival in August 2015.
The last single from the album campaign was "Fall into the Party", the official video included highlights of the previous 18 months promoting the album at several gigs, festivals, and their massive headline show at The SSE Hydro.
The band were nominated as finalists for Best Live Act 2015 by the Association of Independent Music. Twin Atlantic were named 'Best UK Band' at the 2016 SSE Scottish Music Awards.[14]
GLA (2016–2019)
Twin Atlantic released their fourth studio album, GLA, on 9 September 2016. The tracks "Gold Elephant: Cherry Alligator" and "No Sleep" were released on 3 June. Annie Mac premiered "No Sleep" as the Hottest Record in the World on BBC Radio 1. On 7 July 2016, Zane Lowe premiered the track "Ex El" on his Beats 1 radio show.
The second single from the album "The Chaser" was then premiered by Annie Mac on Thursday 18 August 2016 on BBC Radio 1. They gave fans the opportunity to be involved in the music video, which was shot in Buff Club in Glasgow, the club where they played their first gig together.
The album was produced by Jacknife Lee in Los Angeles. GLA is the airport code for the band's hometown, Glasgow. They made their BBC national TV debut on Later... with Jools Holland on 4 October 2016 performing three songs "No Sleep", "The Chaser" and "Ex El".
They then embarked on several tours in support of the album, taking them around the UK and Europe, including a run of three nights at the renowned Barrowland Ballroom in their native Glasgow.
As of September 2017,[update] Twin Atlantic were writing new music, which they hoped to release shortly thereafter.[15]
Power (2020)
Twin Atlantic announced their fifth studio album, Power, and simultaneously released the lead single, "Novocaine". In a Kerrang! interview speaking of the band's first new music since 2016's GLA, frontman Sam McTrusty said of "Novocaine": "I wanted to force myself to be more honest and open. The song tells the story of the most intimate connection I’ve ever felt with someone else: when I first met my wife. That feeling of obsession taking over every thought and reason was almost like an addiction at the time. It embarrasses us in some ways that we fell victim to such a clichéd movie script love story, but equally amazes us that it ever happened."[16]
They have a UK intimate tour lined up for 2020 with the album releasing on 24 January 2020.
Transparency and Kneale's departure (2021–present)
In September 2021, drummer Craig Kneale released a statement via social media announcing his departure from the band, and the band subsequently announced their sixth album Transparency, which was released on 7 January 2022.[17]
^"ALBUM: Twin Atlantic – Free". Dead Press. 2 May 2011. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2021. Their music is direct power pop with a hard alternative edge, and 'Free' is the perfect showcase for their infectious noise.
^MacKinnon, James (7 June 2020). "Twin Atlantic: "Hope And Love Tend To Conquer Fear And Hate"". Kerrang!. Retrieved 31 March 2021. Twin Atlantic's gamble to break away from the indie-rock perfectionism of Free (2011) and Great Divide (2014), which had made them a well-known name, in favour of trusting their instincts and gutsy rock, paid off.
