Twin Sister’s first full-length the dreamy In Heaven

It’s a mystery to me how the Long Island-based quintet pulled this off, but the tracks of In Heaven are audibly incandescent. This is the first full-length album from Twin Sister, and they have encompassed dream pop to the fullest.

Their previous EPs, Vampires with Dreaming Kids and Color Your Life, were rougher, more uncertain and recorded hipster-newbie style in a New York apartment. In Heaven gives Twin Sister a much more powerful aura; they are ready to enter the music scene in full dreamy and glow-y swing. And, of course, they now have a real studio to back them up courtesy of Domino Recording Company.

The sick arrangement behind opening track “Daniel” immediately pulls listeners in. The instrumentation combined with Andrea Estella’s commanding yet calming vocals left me totally lost in the music. This wistful album does not lose its verve as it continues on.

Songs like “Space Babe” and “Kimmi In A Rice Field” maintain the initial energy through the middle of the album. While very different, both of these tracks are sure to get stuck in your head.  The album closes with a shoegaze track, “Eastern Green,” which also features vocals from guitarist Eric Cardona.

Throughout the album, the instrumentation provided by Cardona, keyboardist Dev Gupta, drummer Bryan Ujeta and bassist Gabe D’Amico never gets less impressive. They are diverse and gorgeous; Estella’s wide range of vocal ability only enhances how awesome Twin Sister sounds. She seemingly effortlessly transitions from a smoky and rumbling sound to a smooth, lullaby style and back.

They say a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. For Twin Sister, however, each part is so finely tuned that the whole is astonishing. They have made an insane amount of progress since their 2010 EPs. I can’t imagine what else is in store, but it is bound to impress.

WPGU Music Staff Rating: W-P-1/2 

Key Tracks: “Daniel” “Gene Ciampi” and “Kimmi In A Rice Field”.

RIYL: Beach House, Memoryhouse, and Tennis

W = Poor
W-P = Fair
W-P-G = Great
W-P-G-U = An instant classic!

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