There are some bands that sound like they are influenced more by things or ideas than by other music. Twin Sister, a five-piece band based in Brooklyn, makes music that sounds like a cloudy day at the beach, oversized cardigans, and woolen mittens. Their songs embody the best qualities of these things — they are as warm and welcoming as a familiar sweater and as dreamy and lighthearted as a day at the beach under imperfect conditions.
Vampires with Dreaming Kids is Twin Sister’s short but strong debut. All four tracks are down-tempo, but the EP never feels dull or sluggish. The opener, “Dry Hump,” features Andrea Estella’s coos and hummed harmonies over a lazy strum pattern and bass line and twinkling, dreamy keyboards. “Ginger” sounds straight out of an ’80s movie prom scene, with hazy synths and clangy guitars that reach a fever pitch under Estella’s echo-y incantation of “I love you.” Hers and Eric Cardona’s voices blend beautifully on the third track, “Nectarine,” which sounds akin to if Jon Brion had produced a Nick Drake record with a lovely fingerpicked pattern and lo-fi allure. The cherry on top is “I Want a House,” with its slow groove and charmingly sweet lyrics. The entire EP can be downloaded for free at Twin Sister’s website.
Twin Sister’s second EP, Color Your Life, is set to be released this month. If their first offering is any indication, it should prove to be as exciting and splendid as the first bloom of spring.