“Just got to keep your head up / And the lights on / That’s all you can do”, coos Twin Atlantic’s lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Sam McTrusty on ‘Keep Your Head Up’, the opening track to the Scottish indie rock duo’s fifth album Transparency. It feels like the mantra we’ve all lived by over the last couple of years, and for an album that had its own troubled genesis, it’s also perhaps been something of a rallying cry for McTrusty and bassist Ross McNae, the only remaining members of the band after the departure of drummer Craig Kneale last year.

Elaborating further on their official Facebook page, the band addressed the difficult process of getting Transparency over the line. “What a crazy rollercoaster of an experience this has been,” they said. “The process for making this album is as much a part of the art as the songs themselves and we are so proud to be at this point today where we can share the record with you all.”

It was Twin Atlantic’s second album Free that served as their breakthrough, a feisty fire-fuelled frenzy that became an instant classic. Over the years though McTrusty has steered his outfit towards calmer waters, and on Transparency we find them settling on their most rounded sound yet. 

There are still splinters of the past, ‘Dirty’ is a scuzzy, industrial-tinged romp that is breathlessly exciting, while ‘Bang On The Gong’ is a spacey experiment that fizzes with attitude, and ‘Young’ fuses a huge bassline with an even bigger chorus for a slice of alt pop that might just be the best track here. The mellower and most introspective moments come most notably on the superb ‘It’s Getting Dark’, a lingering and foreboding piece that demands your attention. 

Lyrically, McTrusty dives into big themes on Transparency, tackling everything from marriage and male friendship to parenthood, medication, and his own mum. It’s a record that carries the weight of the last two years, both in personal way and in a wider sense, and one that rewards multiple listens. 

Transparency tracklist:

1. Keep Your Head Up
2. One Man Party
3. Get Famous
4. Young 
5. Haunt
6. Dance Like Your Mother
7. Dirty
8. Bang On The Gong
9. It’s Getting Dark
10. Instigator

Watch the official video for Bang On The Gong here. 

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.