Lyrically, twotwentytwo is youthfully wholehearted, in the vein of Phoebe Bridgers and her boygenius cohorts. This earnest vulnerability accompanies a backdrop of soaring, anthemic indie soundscapes, while the quieter, dreamy, tracks evoke 90s shoegaze; the likes of Mazzy Star and Slowdive. ‘Honey (I Hope, You Understand)’ is a Dear John letter of disenchantment that could almost be the sober flipside to Alvvays’ ‘Archie, Marry Me’: ‘Honey take me by the hand’ vs. ‘Honey […] I’m not here to hold your hand’.
Meanwhile, ‘twotwentytwo’ uses the coldness of winter to communicate a relationship’s breakdown: ‘I wish winter was a person I could hate’ highlights the juvenile tendency to project complex feelings onto something tangible – it wouldn’t be out of place in the soundtrack to a mid-90s or 00s orange-tinted teen drama. It’s music that you need after a long day; music that warms you up during a cold winter night.
twotwentytwo is out now via Fire Records
