EMMALINE TWIST

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Emmaline Twist doesn’t “write songs”. This band constructs vast soundscapes that evoke the urgent, anxious energy of bustling cities enveloped by a sonic atmosphere as wide as the prairie sky. With the workmanlike spirit that is the hallmark of Midwestern rock music, Emmaline Twist combines the angular rhythms of post-punk with the dreamy ambience of shoegaze to create a sound unique to this Paris on the Plains.

Starting with the solid foundational rhythm section of Jonathan Knecht on drums and Kristin Conkright on bass, keyboardist Alex Alexander, baritone guitarist Krysztof Nemeth, and singer/guitarist Meredith McGrade add layer upon layer of structure and minimalist detail to reveal clean, tightly-crafted songs that are not so much autobiographical documents as they are universal pronouncements — sonic explorations of a dark-yet-hopeful aesthetic that is truly a reflection of these anxious times.

These veteran musicians first came together in early 2016 and immediately found an audience eager for their moody, darkwave sound. They produced their first video single, “Vega” (dir. Steve Gardels), later that same year. In the Fall of 2017, they self-released the digital EP, Dissimulation I, as well as their second video — “Desperate Measures” (dir. Matt Lepley). In August of 2018 Emmaline Twist released its debut vinyl LP, Dissimulation, on the Kansas City record label cooperative, Black Site. The album contains four brand new tunes plus completely remastered versions of the four tracks from the 2017 EP. Also in the Summer of 2018, the band released a 45 rpm single of “Vega” (b/w “Moon Eyes”) on Kansas City’s eat.hear Records.

During the pandemic the band began work on it's sophomore album, releasing the first video single, "Drugs", in the Summer of 2021. The video, directed by Matthew Dunehoo at Elk’s Pride Pictures features the band playing in a flurry of distorted close-ups and shadows – a beautiful ride through the chaos of our times.