Noisy shoegazers TWIN DRUGS return with their self-produced sophomore album, taking their brand of ‘maximalist’ shoegaze in a more brooding, introspective direction. “Being a prepper is normal these days,” says main-songwriter Blake Melton (guitars & vocals), concisely capturing the decay of our modern world. Hailing from Richmond, VA, the trio originally set out to combine the dreamy atmospheres of My Bloody Valentine with the punishing riffing of Metz to create an upbeat and energetic experience of sound. However, upon being confronted with the increasing complexity of life throughout the years, the band made a decisive take a turn for the darker.  

“Covid is just one grain of sand in the hourglass of general existential anxiety,” Melton continues, referring to the increasing complexity and ambiguity of our lives in an age of mass-deception, proxy wars and global panic. Inspired by cosmic horror and the near-psychedelic archival footage compilations of British documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis, Melton, together with bandmates Alex Wilson (drums, live-electronics) and Christian Monroe (bass), collages the band’s own image of a world in decay. Mastered to perfection by Cult of Luna’s Magnus Lindberg and with cover art by Christopher Royal King (Symbol, ex-This Will Destroy You), In Now Less Than Ever is a complete experience that creeps up on you like only existential dread can.