''The Twilight Sad'' is the debut EP by

The Twilight Sad The Twilight Sad are a Scottish post-punk/indie rock band, comprising James Graham (vocals), Andy MacFarlane (guitar), Johnny Docherty (bass), Brendan Smith (keyboards) and Grant Hutchison (drums). They have released five studio albums, as well ...

, released on 14 November 2006 on

Fat Cat Records FatCat Records is an English independent record label based in Brighton. The label's output reaches into many styles including experimental rock, electronica, psychedelic folk, contemporary classical, noise and post-punk. Notable artists that ...

. The EP was only released on CD in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

.FatCat Records: Releases: The Twilight Sad
/ref> Regarding its US-only release, former bassist Craig Orzel stated that "the American side of Fat Cat wanted a release to announce our arrival, so they got that. I think the UK side were, initially, more interested in albums than EPs."Stereokill.net Interview with Craig Orzel
The EP was mixed by composer and Fat Cat labelmate

Max Richter Max Richter (; ; born 22 March 1966) is a German-born British composer and pianist. He works within postminimalist and contemporary classical styles. Richter is classically trained, having graduated in composition from the University of Edinbur ...

. "

That Summer, at Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy "That Summer, at Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy" is a song by Scottish indie rock band The Twilight Sad, that appears on the EP ''The Twilight Sad'', and their debut album, ''Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters''. The song was released as th ...

", "Last Year's Rain Didn't Fall Quite So Hard", and "

And She Would Darken the Memory "And She Would Darken the Memory" (sometimes referred to as "And She Would Darken the Memory of Youth") is a song by Scottish indie rock band The Twilight Sad, that appears on the EP ''The Twilight Sad'', and their debut album, '' Fourteen Autum ...

" also appear on the band's debut album, ''

Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters ''Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters'' is the debut studio album by Scottish indie rock band The Twilight Sad, released by FatCat Records on 3 April 2007 in the US, and 7 May 2007 in the UK. The album features production from guitarist Andy MacFa ...

'', which followed the EP in April 2007. The EP garnered warm critical reception, with independent music website Delusions of Adequacy praising "the cathartic racket" of the songs as "uplifting and expansive, on the verge of overwhelming with sound, sweeping the listener away from the harsh, earth-bound lyrics and delivery" and hailing the EP as "a bracing distillation of what The Twilight Sad does best, marrying spare to expansive sonics with bitter, sharp, sometimes enigmatic lyrics and a powerful, emotional sing-talking delivery by James Graham, as skeletons are rattled in the old family closet."

Critical reception

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

reviewer Marc Hogan awarded the EP a 7.8 out of 10 rating, praising the band's "stadium anthem" technique through "lip-quivering emotion punctuated with explosions." ''Treble'' zine reviewer Herbert Vigilla stated that the EP shows the band "have a knack for crafting cathartic, visceral shoegazer anthems." Delusions of Adequacy also praised the band's "structural 'formula'" for the songs as "effective and breath-taking", and James Graham's "stark reminisces and recriminations ... expressively wrapped in his pronounced Scottish accent" and lyrics "rife with vague to pointed accusations, which are parsed out piecemeal, giving room for the listener to imagine a stunted familial environment where relationships are divided into victim and perpetrator, where one person talks to the other and vice versa, conversations in an unhappy home, and a looking back at it all through the distance of time and childhood memories."

Track listing

Personnel

;The Twilight Sad * James Graham – vocals * Andy MacFarlane – guitars, accordion * Craig Orzel – bass * Mark Devine – drums, percussion ;Recording personnel * The Twilight Sad – production, mixing *

– mixing * David Paterson – engineering * Pam Smith – engineering * Alan Douches – mastering * dlt – artwork

References

External links

EP synopsis at Fat Cat Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Twilight Sad (EP) 2006 debut EPs The Twilight Sad albums FatCat Records EPs