Twin Sister: Playing on Prefix

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Playing on Prefix, a new feature on KCRW’s music blog where writers from the eclectic music site Prefix hip you to what’s coming out of their computer speakers this week. This week’s edition is devoted to Twin Sister, a New York-based indie band that released their second EP, Color Your Life, in April, and are on tour now.

By: Andrew Winistorfer

Like a more delicate Beach House, Twin Sister are concerned with creating a mood that keeps listeners around as much as they are with creating imminently replayable singles like “All Around and Away We Go.”

The Beach House comparison is hard to ignore here, particularly with Andrea Estella’s airy, yet brassy, vocals and the dreamy pop . But where Beach House create beauty out of their minimal set-up of organ-guitar-drum machine, Twin Sister’s music is more layered, thanks to the melodic bass of Gabe D’Amico, the quiet yet powerful drumming of Bryan Ujueta, the glittery guitar of Eric Cardona and the climbing synths of Dev Gupta.

But ultimately it comes down to Estella, who sings of commitment, daydreaming, things that can’t be explained, night dreams, and above all, relationships. Those themes all dovetail on the lush “Lady Daydream.”

All this greatness, and Twin Sister haven’t even released a proper album. Indeed, the 20-somethings in Twin Sister have just two EPs in their oeuvre, 2008’s Vampires with Dreaming Kids and this year’s Color Your Life, both of them self-released.

They’re reportedly sitting on offers from a variety of indies, instead wanting to tour as a band for an extended period before partnering with a label. Once they do, expect Twin Sister’s debut album to be playing on Prefix in a big way.