Six albums deep and still evolving, Sam McTrusty reveals Twin Atlantic’s blueprint for longevity in a rapidly changing music landscape, balancing two decades of rock experience with fresh explorations. Check out our new Upset cover story.
Words: Stephen Ackroyd.
Photos: Stevie Kyle.
There’s a certain poetry to catching Mr Rock Star Sam McTrusty of Twin Atlantic during a moment of domesticity. “I’m spending the morning with my girls and drinking a coffee in Glasgow,” he says, painting a picture of calm that stands in stark contrast to the frenetic energy that has propelled his band through six albums and countless tours. It’s this juxtaposition – the poise and confidence to find quiet moments amidst the chaos, before bending it all into something exciting and vital – that seems to define Twin Atlantic in 2024.
Bands who not only endure but evolve are special, and few have navigated the choppy waters of change with as much grace and determination as Twin Atlantic. As they stand on the precipice of releasing their sixth studio album, ‘Meltdown’, they find themselves not just surviving but thriving in an industry that’s barely recognisable from the one they entered over 15 years ago. From their early days in Glasgow’s vibrant music scene to their current status as one of Britain’s most enduring rock acts, theirs is a story of resilience, reinvention, and an unwavering commitment to their craft.
Recently, Twin Atlantic have been experiencing a period of significant change and growth. “I’ve been so busy this year,” McTrusty admits. “Moved house and studio. Done some really class gigs with Twin…”
But amidst the whirlwind of change, there have been moments of pure joy and celebration. “The highlight has to be our two nights of headline shows in Glasgow in May,” he says. “All of our friends and family under one roof, celebrating the band and the new songs we’ve put out from the album so far. Seriously lucky boys to still get to do this at that level.”
This sense of gratitude permeates the conversation, a refreshing trait in a band that has achieved as much as Twin Atlantic. Their upcoming album, ‘Meltdown’, marks their sixth studio release – a milestone that McTrusty views with a mix of disbelief and pride. “It’s mad; it’s truly mad that we’ve even been allowed to do that,” he marvels.
The journey to this point has been a long one, spanning nearly two decades and bridging the gap between the pre-streaming era and today’s digital-first landscape. “We started way back in 2007 when streaming wasn’t even a thing yet,” McTrusty recalls. “Our first album, ‘Free’, came out in 2011, and, again, streaming wasn’t even being used at all. We were given the freedom to put the record out, then let it grow organically, touring it for three years and finding our people. Let our fans decide to be involved on the basis of hearing the music rather than the hype or marketing angles etc.”
This organic approach to building a fanbase has served Twin Atlantic well, allowing them to cultivate a loyal following that has stuck with them through various stylistic evolutions. But McTrusty is keenly aware of how the industry has changed. “There are definitely amazing uses of that, and everything is valid at the right time, but now an album campaign is a maximum of one year, and it’s sort of over the day the album comes out,” he observes. Yet, far from lamenting these changes, he sees them as part of the natural evolution of being an artist. “You have to evolve and adjust to changing culture and technology around you always,” he states. “I’m pretty proud of us, that we’ve managed to do that on our own terms all these years.”
Indeed, doing things on their own terms seems to be a recurring theme for Twin Atlantic. For ‘Meltdown’, they’ve taken this independence a step further by releasing the album on their own label, Staple Diet. “We’ve had that label since 2007 but have only used it when we’ve needed it as a hidden music industry last hand on the poker table sort of thing,” McTrusty explains.
“I renovated a garden by hand, and that mentally prepared me to self-engineer and produce a Twin record”
Sam McTrusty
This move towards complete independence has allowed the band to be incredibly hands-on with every aspect of their work. “Ross and I are so, so hands-on with the day-to-day running of the band,” McTrusty reveals. “We are the writers, performers, engineers, producers, studio managers, art directors. The list goes on and on and on. Marketing, social media, film producers, directors… It’s one of the greatest things about being in this band, that we get to wear so many different hats and rarely get bored.”
This level of control has brought with it a new sense of freedom, particularly in the creative process. “Even when we’ve worked with other labels, we’ve always ultimately had the last say and decision on everything,” McTrusty states, “but this time, the main difference has been absolutely living in a bubble without outside noise or influence. Like nobody was paying for studio time or anything like that, as Ross and I have our own places we work out of, so we had more time to explore ideas for sure, but just making decisions based solely on your own opinion was definitely freeing for sure.”
However, this independence hasn’t come without its challenges. When asked about the hardest aspect of creating ‘Meltdown’, McTrusty brings up the same thing almost every other band does: money. “Mainly the finance side of things, to be honest,” he admits. “It’s harder and harder to convince the music industry to invest in bands like ours right now, so that was genuinely the main hurdle to overcome. We are just lucky that we’re an established act, so we managed to make our way through it by continuing to tour for our loyal fans. Shout out to them.”
Musically, ‘Meltdown’ represents a return to Twin Atlantic’s roots, with big choruses and massive guitars reminiscent of their earlier work. The spark for that owes a lot to the band’s legacy, McTrusty reflects. “I think just enough time had passed that I found it interesting to tackle that sound again,” he says. “Older and wiser now, so that was an interesting enough angle for us to be turned on by that approach again.”
This balance of nostalgia and forward momentum is something Twin Atlantic seem to have mastered. “Honestly, we never really felt like we had to find a balance,” McTrusty says when asked about this juggling act. “We’ve been so lucky to work with world-class producers over the years who’ve sort of trained us to push ourselves and recognise when we are doing something that excites us in a natural, effortless way, so we just chase that feeling. Tying into the question about timing, we just felt that way about this type of songwriting and guitar sounds again, so we followed it.”
The creation of ‘Meltdown’ has been a learning experience for the band, as McTrusty eagerly shares. “I love that side of being an artist,” he enthuses. “I’ve been so, so lucky to be gifted with the chance to do this my whole adult life, so it’s almost like a timeline of growing up for me when you trace back over the albums’ timeline, and that’s just awesome. This album taught me that doing something that you love, no matter the outcome or the hurdles put in front of you, is more rewarding than any financial gain or chart position or ticket sales. That, and also, I can engineer and produce a massive-sounding rock record.”
This newfound confidence in their technical abilities came from an unexpected source. When asked about unconventional inspirations for the new music, McTrusty shares a surprising anecdote: “I renovated a garden by hand with no heavy machinery during the tail end of lockdowns, and the process of doing that mentally prepared me to self-engineer and produce a Twin record. Shifted dozens and dozens of tonnes and tonnes of material with a shovel and wheelbarrow, then laid 50m squared of stone in the rain. Toughened me up. Cutting wood in the snow. Like Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins going through his training in the mountains.”
Looking to the future, McTrusty is characteristically open-minded. “I’m not really too sure I ever look too far into the future when it comes to Twin Atlantic,” he admits. “It just goes back to our whole mission statement of making a different album every time with purpose and integrity.”
In the end, perhaps the true magic of Twin Atlantic lies not in their ability to weather storms but in their knack for finding a way to dance in them. As they gear up for the release of ‘Meltdown’ and the tour that follows, they do so as wide-eyed adventurers, still in love with the thrill of creation. They’ve navigated the industry, personal challenges, and the ever-present pressure to evolve, emerging not just intact but invigorated. The meltdown may be coming, but for Twin Atlantic, it’s looking a lot like a rebirth. ■
Twin Atlantic’s album ‘Meltdown’ is out now. Follow Upset’s Spotify playlist here.
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