Vanishing Twin grab the attention of every sense. From their surreal Dada-esque aesthetics and imagery to their mysterious psych noise, they’re refusing to go unnoticed. Made up of Cathy Lucas (vocals/multi-instruments), Phil MFU (synth/guitar), Susumu Mukai (bass), Elliott Arndt (flute and vocals) and Valentina Magaletti (drums), each member had been individually experimenting with the sonic and spectacular as part of other projects such as Orlando and Zongamin in their native countries of Belgium, Japan, Italy, France and America before they joined forces in London four years ago. Critics have attempted to describe their spacey sound in a variety of ways, from “interplanetary pop and electronic exotica” to “esoteric electronica and psychic groove“, yet the beautiful thing about Vanishing Twin is that their music has the potential to fit any adjective in the dictionary simply depending on the 10 second snippet you’re listening to.
The name refers to Lucas’ own experience in the womb and is further explored in their 2016 debut concept album Choose Your Own Adventure which she claims covers “big ideas about birth, death, eggs and evolution”. Lucas explores the spiritual aspect of her fusion with her unborn sibling by imagining the universe in which they now exist through what Gold Flake Paint‘s calls “esoteric escapism at its very best“. Spreading itself across every genre from jazz and funk to psychedelia, The Quietus states “If one thing defines this album, it’s the band’s desire to pick and choose sounds like magpies, stitching various influences together.“
Just a few months after its release, they followed up their grand debut with the more jazz-infused EP Dream By Numbers. This release was less of a concept album, rather a fast-paced exploration of even more styles. With less of a focus on vocals and verbalised lyricism, more instruments and unearthly sounds were played with to portray a distinct change of direction and influence. 2018’s double single Magic and Machines continued this experiment as the two instrumental tracks ‘Strange Feedback’ and ‘Between Magic and Machines’ were completely improvised and recorded in one take during what the band called “practice/deep listening/a group therapy session“. With both songs surpassing 15 minutes, their raw, unstructured approach make for a breath-taking and unpredictable experience that show the diversity of each individual member.
Today (7th June) they released their latest album The Age of Immunology. Inspired by anthropologist A. David Napier’s 2003 book which discusses how “the assumption that we can only survive by the elimination of ‘the non-self’ was a central idea which had spread catastrophically outwards from the world of medicine, infecting everything in its path“, this album is another philosophical journey of sounds. It was produced by Lucas in a range of unconventional settings, for example, spiritual opener ‘Krk (At Home In Strange Places)’ was recorded on an iPhone during a live set which crackled with psychic connectivity on the Croatian island of Krk. Meanwhile, the magical Morricone-esque lounge of ‘You Are Not an Island’, the blissed-out Jean-Claude Vannier style arrangement of ‘Invisible World’ and burbling scifi funk ode to a 1972 cult French animation, ‘Planète Sauvage’, were all recorded in nighttime sessions in an abandoned mill in Sudbury. Another new feature in this release is their use of language as the mother tongues of each member are woven into the lyrics (in which their are plenty compared to their two previous release) as well as English.
Vanishing Twin are nothing like what you’ve probably heard before, so tune in to experience the real ethereal sounds of the future and the otherworldly…
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Twitter – @vanishing_twin