Mr Twin Sister - Mr Twin Sister (2014) Lossless

Back in 2010, Twin Sister, as they were formerly known, were the subject of many gushing blog posts, thanks to their feel-good stomper, “All Around and Away We Go”. Now, they’re coming a round again, and this time they’ve been sampled by Kendrick and Dr. Dre, got a whole new name – yeah, that’s ‘Mr.’, to you – and generally seem to have come to realise how kick-ass they really are.

Their eponymous second effort comes equipped with a subtle but sure sense of confidence and direction. Mr. Twin Sister doesn't exactly put the 'L' in LP, with just 8 tracks running to just under 40 minutes, but with several of these clocking in at over 6 minutes, every musical idea on the album is given time to grow, allowing you to fall in love with every hook. It's not often you heard a near seven minute pop song that leaves you wanting more, but Mr. Twin Sister manage to pull it off several times over in just under half an hour. Mr. Twin Sister reminds you that the album – even a pop album – is more than a random assortment of songs. It can also be a statement.

Andrea Estella's familiar, idiosyncratic delivery is the same as ever, but it's good to see her doing a bit more than huskily serenading us on this record. Wonderful as her half-whispered crooning is, Mr. Twin Sister shows the world a whole gutsy new side to her. “Out of the Dark”, which the band shared in May this year, is bleak, techno diffusion line pop, which hinges around the line “I'm a woman, but inside I'm a man and I want to be as gay as I can”, which Estella drives home with an unshakeable, sexualised self-assurance. It suits her.

In fact, it suits all of them. “12 Angels”, their foray into the seedy underbelly of rave music, makes a great contrast to the group's signature somnambulant wistfulness, which has been honed to a fine art. “Is this romantic dreaming?” asks the album's opener, “Sensitive”. The track plunges you into a sensual world, full of ethereal synth and shimmering strings, where the emotional intensity of their musical fantasy blossoms before you. "Blush" uses Julie London-esque orchestration and the sound of vintage Rhodes to create some high melodrama.

But, you'll be glad to know the feel-good vibes that made us love them in the first place are everywhere - “Rude Boy” and '”In The House of Yes” being especially reminiscent of the groove-lead pop on the Colour Your Life EP. You could say a lot about Mr. Twin Sister, but no one can dispute that they know how to write a pop song with a great bass line. And that's not all they can do. Mr. Twin Sister goes to show that these guys have a lot up their sleeve.