It’s no revelation that the last two years were rough. The pandemic, the financial roller coaster of the American market, the political, social, and psychic fallout from one of the most fucked-up election cycles in recent memory – there’s enough pain to go around. Thankfully Glassing returns to perform an exorcism with Twin Dream. Standing confidently between pillars of grace and brutality, the Austin trio’s third album seethes, rages, and sobs, riding waves of sonic fury that crash onto serene (but blackened) shores. On “Absolute Virtue” and “Spire,” guitarist Cory Brim lays down heavy riffs thicker than redwood tree trunks, while drummer Jason Camacho roars across his kit like Keith Moon if he’d been raised on thrash metal. Bassist Dustin Coffman scorches the air with his lungs, but this isn’t inchoate screaming – even if his words can’t be easily grokked, the force with which they’re bellowed means everything. By contrast, the title track lets Brim paint Coffman and Camacho’s relentless rhythm throb with a bright but harrowing sunlight saturation, balancing thud with shreen … Eventually, the chord progression for “True North” takes an uplifting turn, while the speechless “Godless Night” dives deep into the heart of fevered dreams. Twin Dream may have gestated in the same cauldron of shock and unease in which we’ve all stewed, but Glassing has the tools to pull forth something stirring.
This article appears in November 5 • 2021.