Psychic Twin
Strange Diary
Release Date: Sep 9, 2016
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Electronic, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Dream Pop
Record label: Polyvinyl
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Album Review: Strange Diary by Psychic Twin
Excellent, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 8.5/10
There was an advertising slogan in Britain in the 1990s for an alcoholic drink: "good things come to those who wait." In this millennium we are told time and again that the world goes too fast, that society lacks patience these days. Strange Diary, the debut album from Psychic Twin, aka former Headlights vocalist Erin Fein, belies the latter notion—four years in the making, it shows that some people still reap the rewards of the old Guinness maxim. .
Based on rating 8.5/10
I am not sure Psychic Twin (real name Erin Fein) could have planned the release of her debut album any better if she had tried. Strange Diary arrives in the wake of the enormous success of '80s-dripping nostalgia machine Stranger Things, and the second track on Psychic Twin's album, entitled 'Strangers' features a dark, arpeggiating synth that should perk up more than a few ears. But make no mistake, Fein was not looking to cash in on nostalgia.
Based on rating 7.5/10
Erin Fein, the mastermind behind the avant-pop project Psychic Twin, has had quite the ride over the four-year course of producing her album. After the dissolution of her marriage, Fein took her songs across the country, relocating to Brooklyn from her humble beginnings in Illinois. With a brand new life came a new image, and more importantly a newfound sense of sense-assurance, all of which marry together to for the icy cool heir around Psychic Twin.
Based on rating 7/10
Psychic Twin's Erin Fein wrote the songs on her debut full-length, Strange Diary, over a four-year period, during which she went through a divorce, moved from her native Illinois to Brooklyn, and switched musical collaborators several times. Given all of her major life changes, the album is remarkably cohesive, with most of its tracks being catchy, uptempo synth pop tunes with lush synthesizers and fluttering vocals that equally channel Kate Bush and '80s-era Annie Lennox. The songs are dreamy, propulsive, and slightly chilling, particularly due to the ghostly, subliminal backup vocals.
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