Twine – Deer In The Headlights

Self-released

Like many good things in my life, I discovered Twine through Wednesday. It was some nebulous co-sign: an Instagram repost, a lineup the two bands shared, or some other crossover I’m too daft to remember. At the time, the Australian indie rockers only had a handful of songs out, just random tracks scattered across a Bandcamp page, not even bound to an EP or anything. I remember listening to “Same Old Problems” and immediately feeling sucked into the song’s orbit. As is the case with many Twine songs, it reels you in with a slow start–a guitar and violin set a somber and understated tone that makes way for frontman Tom Katsaras’ erratic, emotional wail. From there, the band revels in the contrast of self-destruction, blowing the soundscape up into a cataclysmic wall of noise, then back down to something as calm as a heartbeat. It’s absolutely enchanting, as is “Cleaner,” as is “Seachange.” I’d found my new obsession and gotten in before they even had so much as an EP.

I was excited to see the group announce New Old Horse, their debut LP, for the tail end of 2024. The band had enlisted Alex Farrar mix the record, the same guy who had worked with Wednesday, MJ Lenderman, and Hotline TNT among others (maybe that was the Wednesday connection), but with this choice it was evident that Twine was working toward a massive sound that placed them in the same echelon as these modern indie legends. It was already clear from the initial smattering of singles that Twine weren’t chasing any buzzy trend, but that they had their own approach to music that made them unmistakable. In other words, it would be impossible for Twine to just blend into the background of a Spotify Shoegaze playlist; they’re too busy being themselves. It’s not just Katsaras’ Aussie accent, but the way this cadre of musicians seemed to delight in every musical twist and turn, pivoting from post-punk deliveries to Unwound-style heaviness to emo-ass guitar work, twee touches, and elegant flourishes. Together, the band captivates as they bounce between these dynamics, stretching them out like putty as they produce a collection of songs that feels enthralling and overwrought in the best way. 

While I adored Twine’s debut, its December release date meant that many might have missed it, as this tends to be a time when music blogs are on vacation and music listeners are often wrapped up in holiday festivities. Plus, ‘round Christmas is hardly a time to be leaning into such powerfully dour music. It was a relief, then, to see the group drop Deer In The Headlights, a three-track EP that serves as a reminder of what makes them so special. 

The title track starts with a folksy acoustic guitar before unleashing a flurry of distorted blasts that knock the wind out of you, then retreating to a country-flavored toe tap. It all unfurls majestically and acts as a perfect reintroduction to Twine’s unique style of bombast. “Faith of Crisis” embraces a more noisy squall, while closer “Out The Same Way” finds power in an ascendant lyrical repetition that leaves the future feeling wide open in an inspirational way. Together, these songs feel less like B-sides to last year’s LP and more of an intentional build-out, an outcropping that can be turned into a bridge, a doorway that the group and the listener are already in the process of walking through. No matter what exists on that other side, odds are that Twine will find a way to make it into something beautiful and compelling, as they have a million times before.