We’ve been eagerly anticipating the debut album from Twist, the Toronto band led by Laura Hermiston and featuring Holy Fuck’s Brian Borchedt. And now Spectral is here for the listening, four days before its official release date. The album puts an electronic spin on poppy rock music without losing its essential guitar-based essence, plucking classic sounds ranging from Hole to the Jesus And Mary Chain and updating them for the digital age. As for the subject matter, Hermiston shared some background on the project:

Spectral is an album about growing pains. These songs focus on the challenges of being young, feeling lost, unsure, and let down by people. At a certain point, we’re all confronted with a choice — giving into the pressure and living in a way that’s expected or taking charge of life and growing powerful and resilient. Most of these songs were written and recorded alone, developed with Brian in his basement studio, and eventually worked out with my live band Matt, Pat, and Sara. They’ve taken on a new life as they’ve grown — ideas first conceived in solitude have now grown into a broad spectrum of my experiences over the last 3 years. I think that’s why I picked the title. Life is the combination of a wide range of emotions and experiences. I hope that people can relate to these songs when going through their own changes.

Stream Spectral below.

Twist tour dates:

08/24 Cincinnati, OH @ Northside Yacht Club
08/25 Nashville, TN @ Glass Menage
08/28 Austin, TX @ Sidewinder
09/31 San Francisco, CA @ TBA
09/03 Seattle, WA @ Werewolf Vacation
09/04 Victoria, BC @ Copper Owl
09/05 Vancouver, BC @ TBA Trash City productions
09/08 Calgary, AB @ Broken City
09/09 Regina @ Vangellis
09/10 Winnipeg, MA @ Sherbrooke Street Festival
09/11 Minneapolis, MN @ Kitty Cat Klub
09/12 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
09/16 Toronto, ON @ Baby G

Spectral is out 8/26 on Buzz. Pre-order it here.

CREDIT: Caitlin McLafferty