About this artist
A soaring Scottish alternative rock outfit that traffics in elements of emo and power pop, Glasgow’s Twin Atlantic emerged in 2009 and found mainstream success two years later with their gold-selling sophomore effort Free. Comprised of core members Sam McTrusty and Ross McNae, the band has remained active on the U.K. charts for over a decade, issuing acclaimed efforts like The Great Divide (2014), GLA (2016), Power (2020), and Transparency (2022) that skillfully walk the line between pained and majestic.
Twin Atlantic was formed in the city of Glasgow in 2007 around the talents of Sam McTrusty, Ross McNae, Barry McKenna, and Craig Kneale. Like Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, and fellow Scots Biffy Clyro, the quartet specializes in stadium-sized, radio-ready alt-pop. The band released Vivarium in 2010 and followed it up with the chart-topping Free in 2011. The following year they were invited to play on the popular Vans Warped Tour in America before returning to the U.K. for a handful of support slots with pop-punk giants blink-182. In 2014 their third album, The Great Divide, was released midway through the year and yielded their biggest hit to date, “Heart and Soul.” Twin Atlantic spent much of 2015 playing the major summer music festivals in the U.K., including Glastonbury and T in the Park, and in 2016 they began work on their fourth full-length effort. The album, titled GLA, was released in September 2016 and debuted at number nine on the U.K. album charts. Heralded by the candid, intimate single “Novocaine,” the group returned in 2020 for their fifth LP. Titled Power and inspired by “colours, moods, and memories,” it arrived in January 2020. Drummer Craig Kneale decided to “step back” from the group in 2021, leaving McTrusty and McNae as the sole original members. The single “One Man Party” arrived later that year and appeared on the group’s sixth long-player, Transparency, which was released in early 2022. ~ James Christopher Monger