REVIEW: The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know

The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know
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The Twilight Sad are one of the few bands capable of genuinely turning darkness into underappreciated beauty; sorrow sounds seductive and rather enrapturing in their hands. Over the course of two albums and a handful of EPs, the Scottish band have made a name for themselves with their brooding yet rousing songs rooted deeply in shoegaze’s vast, enveloping character. On their third full-length album, No One Can Ever Know, they turn towards a darker direction, walking into the shadowy world of industrial-leaning new wave.

With guitars taking cover behind walls of cold, eerie synthesizers, The Twilight Sad’s trademark melancholy sounds particularly chilling, and, at times, rather menacing. The band’s decidedly moodier themes and tones aren’t always the most welcoming upfront, but over time they begin to reveal a certain overlooked honesty which creates a magnetism around the unfavorable things that lie at the underbelly of life – even if singer James Graham is prone to wrap his tales in the shadow of metaphor and ambiguity. It all leads to a veil of mystery settling carefully over No One Can Ever Know, making the experience all the more intriguing.

From chilling to menacing, this is an album that succeeds in balancing its mood ever so gracefully; The Twilight Sad never allow the gloom to drown out their intent. The haunting synth swells of opener “Alphabet” set the stage for drummer Mark Devin’s post-punk spiked rhythms to set the pace and Graham’s plaintive croon to expound on his displeasure for how things have changed. Earnest cut “Sick” works a descending Radiohead-esque guitar lead over programmed beats, underneath the bright, shimmering synthesizer chords. The closing number, “Kill It In the Morning,” defines the album’s menacing side with its thunderous, throbbing, heavily-distorted bass riff and MacFarlane’s pressing dissonant guitar riffing serving as foil to the song’s latter half: a burst of celestial synthesizers capturing the band’s audible triumph over darkness.

No One Can Ever Know displays The Twilight Sad’s willingness to experiment, abandoning their trademark, guitar-constructed wall of sound in favor of something unexpected yet absolutely fitting and in line with their character. It’s a gamble, but their dark romanticism translates well against this new electronic canvas. Accessibility is not a defining characteristic of the album, but over a couple of a listens you find yourself slowly becoming drawn in by its alluring shades, or undertones, of melancholy. No One Can Ever Know is a grand, dark beauty of an album that’s just as magnificent for its ambiance as it is for its compelling songwriting.

The Twilight Sad - "Another Bed"


The Twilight Sad - "Kill It In the Morning"


No One Can Ever Know came out yesterday in Europe and is out today in the U.S. through Fat Cat Records. Pick it up here.