Bands lose members and sometimes it can have detrimental effects. Sometimes, though, the band pushes through with flying colors. I think that’s the case for The Paradox Twin. They recently shadow-dropped their third album, A Romance of Many Dimensions, and it is proving to be terrific. It released on April 9th through White Star Records.
The band hails from the UK. The lineup has changed considerably this time. Danny Sorrell is handling vocals, guitars, keys, synths, and programming this time. The only other returning member is Graham Brown on drums. Everyone else is gone. Joining him is also Sarah Bayley on vocals, with guest John Mitchell (of Frost*) on bass, guitar, and production.
The music here is an alternative progressive rock. The band is known for fascinating concept albums, spacious writing, dualling vocalists, and great use of distorted walls of guitars. This album is a little spacier than the previous two, which makes sense with the dimensional and technological aspects of the story. I especially love the keys this time around, as they are subtle and gorgeous.
One weakness I detect here is that, while Sarah has a great voice, her tone and delivery are essentially like the female version of Danny. That might sound weird, but there are a couple times on the album where I’m not actually sure who is singing. This is very different than Silence From Signals because Nicole’s voice was bigger and so much different that the contrast between the two is where the magic happened. Their vocals are still my favorite performance of 2021. Danny and Sarah sound amazing here, but you also get the sense that one or the other could have sung the whole thing by themselves, and it wouldn’t have changed the results.
But A Romance of Many Dimensions is a strong album still. It is incredibly consistent throughout, with no dips or weak tracks whatsoever. I love the opening “Linter” and “Operator”, the former being the atmospheric intro and the latter having that signature stuttering riff the band uses. It’s instant familiarity, only with some alien elements that beautify it. “Null the System” has a great loud/quiet dynamic, trading back and forth between spacious tempos and rip-roaring guitar portions. I especially love the opening minutes with the sweet keyboard-led melody. “My Main Function” rocks pretty hard, actually, with some rolling drumbeats, but the delicate electronic elements bring the eleven-minute track to life.
The second half of the album is maybe a hair better. “UI” is utter atmosphere. I love how enchanting it sounds, how it uses guitars sparingly to achieve texture and storytelling. “If Else” is mostly instrumental, a punchy track with vocals that fade in and out at points, and it leads us to “Inheritance”, a more acoustic piece with some of the most emotive dual vocals on the album.
I think the last two songs are my favorites, though. “Pixel Shader”, without a doubt, is one of my favorite songs of the year. This piece has an incredible groove that will get your head bobbing. Yet, even though it has surging energy, it is also punctuated with atmospheric vocal portions. The sheer contrast gives me goosebumps. The closer “Nested Scratch” is more reserved and elegant. I love the cosmic sound to the guitars, the whispering voices, the massive guitar solo at the end. This final song is ethereal and wonderful.
The Paradox Twin might have shed some members, but the music is still great. A Romance of Many Dimensions delves into what it’s like being a human during an age of digital worlds, how some people escape to places that aren’t real, how it can change what love looks like. And I think the album matches this lyrical tone and overall concept very well. It feels like a journey through time and space, yet in the palm of your hand.
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Find The Paradox Twin online:
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The PROG Mind 