Terra Twin - 'Hanging Around'
'Hanging Around', the latest release from Londoners Terra Twin, oozes swagger.
Through the deserted valleys of Pioneertown, California, stumbles the baggy figure of Maxim Baldry (Terra Twin's vocalist). Their latest music video was shot on rolls of 8mm film (and features the singer being pelted with eggs and sustaining himself on jars of pickles)... it's quite the sensory circus.
The opening guitars, soaked in spring reverb, continue the prairie atmosphere but there's no time for tumbleweeds. Intimate, doubled vocals take the wheel, backed by a satisfyingly sparse drum machine. Full drums punch the song into another gear for the chorus as Baldry repeats "it's gonna keep him hanging around / don't ever leave town... your secret sleeps alone".
The whole song is catchy. The melody, the groove, the lyrics, the lazy vocals burrowing into your ear. The band manages to squeeze so much out of fairly limited material. At almost bang on 3 minutes, 'Hanging Around' is radio-friendly, but it has enough edginess and gravitas to nudge Terra Twin away from the 'paint by numbers' indie of some other groups in their weight category.
Baldry and co have been causing something of a stir around London lately, garnering praise from Rolling Stone, NME and The Independent. They've recently been on tour with L'objectif and HighSchool and will be releasing their debut EP 'Head Leaking' on January 26th... busy chaps. If they manage to keep the focus heard in these latest releases and sustain themselves on more than just pickles, I'm sure they'll be... hanging around (apologies) for some time.
Words by Joe Boon
