When it comes to dealing with breakups there are those that need to linger in the pain until it dissipates and then there are those that cathartically cast it aside and sprint forward. Following the dissolution of Atlanta’s beloved Cloudeater, bassist Trevor Flanders chose the latter approach, immediately committing himself to a new solo project, Twin Criminal. “Reflection didn’t seem very prudent at the time,” he says. “I wanted to get started on something right away. No lost inertia. I was afraid that waiting would just derail any sense of urgency and I would find an excuse to become stagnant.”

In comparison to Cloudeater’s more atmospheric alt-rock approach, Twin Criminal’s debut single, “Vandals,” sounds visceral and direct, combining melodic vocals with stormy guitars and a driving backbeat. According to Flanders, that aesthetic shift is part personal writing style and partly born of necessity. Without the means to experiment in a rehearsal setting, his songwriting became more focused and concise, chiseling out any elements found to be extraneous. Flanders notes: “I opted to write and perform the record myself and then find musicians for the band as opposed to finding people and then writing together. So instead of the subtleties of Cloudeater, this record has a much more straightforward approach. It was just demo demo demo, then go in and cut the parts. I like the way it turned out.”

To help flesh out his live sound and to breathe greater depth into future songs, Flanders recruited his former Cloudeater bandmate Daniel Friedman to play guitar and Danny Paschall to handle the drums. The trio have been writing together for some time now and a second record is said to be nearing completion. There are plans to tour, and Flanders hopes to make the band a prominent addition to the Atlanta music scene in 2016. But for now, the focus in on the music. “Twin Criminal is my main squeeze,” he affirms, “and I’m very much looking forward to cutting the next record with those boys.”

“Vandals” is the lead track from Twin Criminal’s debut EP, Nones, which is out Dec. 18 on digital, CD, and cassette via Blood Drunk Records.

Twin Criminal will celebrate the release of Nones on Fri., Dec. 18 as part of Blood Drunk Record’s Terrible Sweater Party 2015 at Union EAV. Also performing will be Blazers (members of CHEW, Swank Sinatra, Hello Cobra), Dopegoat and Hot Wives. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $5. Attendees are urged to bring canned food, all of which will be donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

More Info
Bandcamp: twincriminal.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @twincriminal
Instagram: @twincriminalmusic
SoundCloud: @twin-criminal