Twin Ritual's two sided indie pop tragedy "Norma Jean"

AP Track Review

On Twin Ritual's indie pop affair Norma Jean, Laura Levenhagen sings, "but you better hit the target baby on your first shot there's a line of replacements waiting up and down the block" after pained declarations about the price of stardom (any kind), about lowering and losing yourself. It is an old kind of Hollywood story but a fresh one and applies not only to the entertainment industry but to how we present our facade to others. Twin Ritual has always written catchy stuff with kind of art pop, new wave staging but I feel like this one spins and sparkles in other ways. It rides on super catchy guitar hooks, their kind of signature beat driven drums and bass lines but with Levenhagen's soaring vocals (that does feel theatrical) the drama does not feel over melodramatic even when the track plunges headfirst into this sort of 60's torture pop talking thing. Because of the smart lyrics and incredible vocal performance the song almost feels like a play within a play. A pop artifice painted up like an Andy Warhol painting peeling back the shiny colors to reveal the black and white reality underneath. 

In the end, Norma Jean with it's sort of psycho sexual social commentary that taps into the 60's torture pop is thought provoking, feels sad but somewhat sardonic and made me think of 70's proto punk outfits like Human Sexual Response (Jackie Onasis) and current retro pop outfits like Fascinations Grand Chorus. This is a good direction for Twin Ritual. I dig this track.

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Robb Donker




THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:

Twin Ritual is an Indie Rock band from San Diego, CA. They deliver upbeat drums, swirling synths, fuzzed-out bass, driving guitar hooks, and dreamy female vocals, the band’s members include Laura Levenhagen (vocals/synth), Anthony Ramirez (bass/synths), Michael Buehl (drums) Antonia Estrada (guitar) . Twin Ritual’s debut EP and singles, ‘Angry’ and ‘Hand Through the Mist’, were produced by Dave Trumfio, who is known for producing bands like OK Go, Jesus and the Mary Chain, and Built to Spill. 

After the debut single "Angry" the band has gained a buzz in the San Diego music scene. This has led them to shows in Los Angeles, and Mexico. The band has been featured on ALT PRESS, Big Takeover (NYC), Impose Magazine, BIRP!, and others.