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This eclectic second album from Brooklyn-based George Lewis Jr., who adopts the lame-but-cool moniker of Twin Shadow, is probably just as well served by an objective critique as naming the innumerable artists that inspire it.
Despite shamelessly flaunting an 80s sound that betrays its countless influences, ‘Confess’ is by no means copycat and offers something altogether contemporary and thoroughly enjoyable.
Lead single ‘Five Seconds’ is the real belter that kicks off the album; a powerful, urgent number punctuated with chimes borrowed straight from the Top Gun soundtrack. ‘Run My Heart’ channels The Police at their best while ‘The One’ has a lyrical and vocal quality reminiscent of Morrissey’s lamenting rhetoric.
There’s a lot of artistry here to appreciate and Lewis is obviously still full of ideas. No song is too obvious, nor do they sell out with a catchy hook or hands-in-the-air chorus. At times this can be a shortcoming, it’s an aggressive record, primal and masculine, and with so much going on it can be a little intense. Some light relief, and a bit of focus, would make this a fantastic album.
Throwing around so many ideas as Lewis has here is brave, but it’s when he pulls off outrageous lines like “I want to be adored by your lips and your hands” on ‘Patient’ where it’s clear he knows what he’s doing.
80s throwbacks went in and out of fashion pretty quickly a year or two ago but it’s the originality that separates ‘Confess’ from the rest. Time invested, it proves a deep and rewarding experience.
Listen to 'Confess' below.
