RISE TWAIN

Rise Twain is a Crossover Prog duo that popped up in 2018 and is comprised of Brett William Kull (producer and audio engineer; guitars, bass, keys, percussion) and J.D. Beck (author and playwright; piano and vocals) and proposes an interesting atmospheric collection of songs with harmonic passages and lovely lyrics.

Mostly in the realm of acoustic rock and melancholic art rock, the duo produced four singles that were released on InsideOut which indicate the diversity of the band, from slow tempo songs, like Prayers and Death of Summer to more emotive and catchy numbers as Everspring and Golden.

Their self-titled debut clocks in at 50 minutes with its ten songs. It's a nice and chill collection of short but effective compositions with great vocals and carefully-crafted instrumentation. A bit minimalistic at times and somewhat moody, the album is quite accessible and enjoyable. However, around the middle it might get a little repetitive, as I find the album to lack a dynamic range. It is a mellow album, with warm vocals and well-though lyrics and shall be a joyous experience for the listener who seeks something soothing and unpretentious.

'Rise Twain' is a decent record, easy to listen (especially for a progressive rock album), and now it's interesting to see where the duo could take the project and how they will follow-up this one.