Twin Atlantic’s Sam McTrusty and Ross McNae guide us through the latest chapter of their band and the nostalgic creation of their defiant new album, ‘Meltdown’, out August 9 via Staple Diet.
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Amidst the chaos of life, it can sometimes be tricky to keep a firm grip on perspective.
Our paths diverging and colliding with one another in unpredictable ways, as the scope of our future spirals slowly out of our control, it’s all too easy to lose sight of where you came from.
Whilst there are times when basking too deep in our past selves can be detrimental to that forward motion, there are other times when recalibration is the only way. That’s where the story of Twin Atlantic’s eighth full-length album, ‘Meltdown’, begins.
With 2022’s ‘Transparency’ adding a new string to the bow of the Scottish pop-rock band’s catalogue, coming out from a record of lo-fi electro-rock brought its fair share of challenges. Created mostly in solitude by frontman Sam McTrusty and straying far from the anthemic guitar-driven sound that first catapulted them to the heights of the UK alternative scene over a decade ago, a healing process needed to take place.
Rounding off a triumphant 10th-anniversary tour for 2012 album ‘Free’, a plan was put in place. Building two studios to allow them the freedom to rediscover the roots of their band, the four-piece set to work with zero outside influences. Produced by Sam and bassist Ross McNae and revisiting the big guitar sounds and huge choruses that once defined their band, ‘Meltdown’ is a homecoming for Twin Atlantic.
“There was so much going on that we had to take a take a step back and consider what the fuck we were doing, and why we do it,” Sam explains.
“It was about inviting everybody back in and trying to get back to how it felt in the beginning,” Ross adds.
“We found a way to remember how to enjoy being in a band and block out all the bits that are hard. It’s about focusing on the good bits, which for us has always been about making music and playing gigs.”
Refreshed, restored, and ready for whatever the future holds, Rock Sound sat down with Sam and Ross to find out more about how ‘Meltdown’ came to life.
THE SOUND
“For a long time, people have been asking us to make ‘Free’ again, but we just weren’t able to revisit something that was so life altering and important to us,” Sam reflects.
“We put that record on an even higher pedestal than our die-hard fans do, but we’ve been on a journey since then. Now, it felt like the right time to do this type of rock record again.”
Intently focused on following their creative instincts rather than latching onto commercial success, over the last decade Twin Atlantic have dipped into everything from pop-rock to synth-pop. Whilst the kind of arena-filling guitar melodies that dominated their early sound have always cropped up during rehearsals, the four-piece knew the importance of waiting for the right moment to fully revisit that sound, but when it finally arrived – they jumped on it.
“We’re simple beings, we follow whatever is in front of us at the time, and whatever makes us feel good,” Ross shrugs.
“There was no grand plan. Everything we have done before this album has led us to this point, but we were spoiled for a long time. We got the pick of anybody that we wanted to work with, wherever we wanted to go, whatever we wanted to do. We used to do everything for ourselves in the beginning, we would design the t-shirts and drive the van… on this whole album, we tried to reimagine what that would look and sound like at this point in our career.”
Getting back to the simple notion of sitting with a guitar and writing songs, much of the creative process for ‘Meltdown’ felt like coming full circle for the band. Writing just thirteen songs, of which eleven made the final tracklist, anthemic rock rager ‘Get Out’ took shape early on. The raw pop-rock melodies of ‘Stuck In A Car With You’ and the lighter emotional notes of ‘Sorry’ following shortly after, the pieces fell perfectly into place, and before long – they knew they were onto something special.
“We’ve let so many other people into the process, and it’s been great, but ultimately over the years you can see how that has diluted what we were in the beginning,” Ross nods.
“When I sit down with a guitar, I feel vulnerable,” Sam adds.
“I tried not to overthink it in case it went away, and that simple feeling was the main driving force behind these songs.”
THE LYRICS
With that vulnerability, there’s an undeniable amount of introspection to the songs on ‘Meltdown’. Sitting down with his guitar and letting whatever thoughts and feelings sprung to mind guide his writing process, Sam found himself looking back on how far he’s come since starting this band.
“I’m the frontman of a brash rock band, but I’m quite a damaged individual. I’ve got a lot of baggage, and songwriting has always been my way of either distracting myself or figuring things out,” he explains.
“Since we wrote ‘Free’, I’ve figured out my own lane in life, so these songs are about revisiting all those troubles or worries with a more experienced head.”
With their own families to look after now and a vastly different perspective from the men they were over a decade ago, the loss, hurt, and confusion that coloured many of Sam’s earliest lyrics have now transformed into something new. Acknowledging the triumph of making it to the other side on songs like ‘I Couldn’t Miss You Much More’ and tapping into their more sarcastic side on the likes of riff-drenched cut ‘World Class Entertainment’, these eleven tracks are a wickedly honest reflection of just what Twin Atlantic is in the year 2024.
“We love every song that we’ve put out, but there definitely are songs that mean more to us,” Ross nods.
“We have a lot of songs where the lyrics are just fun streams of consciousness, and over time we’d fallen into being dominated by that, rather than trying to put a story into each song. Originally, Sam’s ability to tell a story was what made the band what it was. We needed to get back to that essence on this record, otherwise, what are we doing here?”
THE COLLABORATORS
With both Sam and Ross stepping into co-producer roles, the reason ‘Meltdown’ sounds the way it does is solely down to the people behind its creation. Founding guitarist Barry McKenna slotting back into his pivotal role, whilst newly recruited drummer Joe Lazarus set about adding his stamp to their sound, it’s an album born from the most organic of connections.
“Honestly, it was an easy album to create. We both allow each other to do the things that we’re good at, and we get out of the way of each other when we need to,” Ross nods, speaking on teaming up with his childhood friend on production duties.
“On every record we’ve done, I’ve always made a rule. A statement that every decision is guided by,” Sam adds.
“For this record, that statement was, ‘Could it be played outdoors at nighttime?’ We really honed in on that during production, and whenever a debate did come up, we had this third imaginary person asking that question. If they said no, we knew we had to make it simpler, or more anthemic.”
From the driving nature of Joe’s drum technique, the unique flourishes of Barry’s guitar playing to the mixing talents of the band’s longtime collaborator Romesh Dodangoda, only a handful of people have touched the songs on ‘Meltdown’, but each has left their own undeniable mark. Each collaborator focused on making an album that reflects their band’s journey in the most vulnerable of ways, that trust in their own vision shines bright across the entire record.
“We told Romesh that we wanted to do a rock record, and originally, we spoke to him about producing it. He encouraged us to take it as far as we could on our own,” Sam recalls.
“He was the first person to ever hear the songs, and when we sent him the demo of ‘Get Out’, he turned into a Twin Atlantic super fan. The album wouldn’t be what it is without having someone like that play a part in it. He helped us to believe in our own instincts again.”
THE TITLE & ARTWORK
When it came to defining the visuals of their next era, an old picture of their 14-year-old selves sparked something within Sam and Ross. Reflecting on over two decades of friendship, and the nostalgia of their childhoods, they got in touch with a former flatmate of Sam’s, graphic designer Ash Morgan.
“If we’d had a crazy big budget, we wanted to get wax candles made of us that would melt into one pool. We wanted to show that we’re damaged guys, but we’re still together,” Sam explains.
“I explained the idea to Ash, and showed him the photo, and he made everything with very little input from us. He knows us so intimately.”
“Not only does he know us, but in a lot of ways… he is us,” Ross continues.
“We all went through all the same things, at the same time, in the same city. He’s an extension of us, which is special.”
An era marked by its striking black and yellow colour palette; the album’s title came just as naturally to the Scotsmen. Toying with the play-on words of ‘Self Helpless’ until Sheffield’s While She Sleeps dropped a similarly titled release, ‘Meltdown’ became the fitting frontrunner, resonating deeply with each of the band’s members.
“We’ve come out of our own mini nuclear meltdown as a band,” Sam chuckles.
“That word sounds dead punk rock when you put it to fast-paced music, but if you put it to emotional, cinematic ballads, it takes on a deeper meaning. Plus, Ross and I say that word fifty times a day when we’re talking about our kids!”
THE FUTURE
Putting everything they have into these eleven slices of pop-rock magic, Twin Atlantic want to be sure that if ‘Meltdown’ is the last record they ever put out into the world, it’s the best farewell they can offer. With no idea how the world will respond, and an uncertainty surrounding the band’s future, they’re focused on the journey – and what a journey it’s been.
“I feel so lucky that I’ve got to spend my whole adult life expressing myself with my best pals. I feel a massive attachment to our fan base, and I know that we’ve built something that has affected a lot of people’s lives,” Sam finishes.
“We’ve done everything so passionately because we needed this type of band when we were younger. Ross and I used to wait outside venues all day for shows, and we went through a period of only wearing band merch and writing lyrics on the front of our school books.”
“Whatever happens now, I’m grateful for the adventure,” Ross adds.
“When we had the idea to get together and play these songs, what mattered most to us? Was it about trying to get a bigger song so that we could make more money, or was it about going on an adventure and experiencing as much of life as we could? We know it was the latter, and we’re so lucky to have had the chance to do that with this band.”
