As Twin Shadow’s sophomore album, Confess, serves as a brilliant transition from his debut, Forget. Where that album fell flat, Confess succeeds; Twin Shadow’s George Lewis Jr. seems to have harnessed the ’80s sound so apparent in his previous work.
Without sounding overly cheesy, Confess divulges the things anyone would normally be too ashamed to say or too scared to address — that you’re still not over your ex-lover, that you “lost the one that cared,” that you’re “in love with the unlovable.” At times, Confess is brutal in its honesty, and in Lewis Jr.’s voluminous yet vindictive voice lends to the album’s sincerity and rawness. The echoes of the dreamy, church-choir sound serve as a backdrop, while Lewis Jr. assaults this sound with abrasive, instrumental progressions that meld with the sharply delicate keys that define the ’80s.
Yet none of that harshness undermines Lewis Jr.’s art. Instead, it defends the selfishness of the album’s protagonist. “Golden Light” introduces the character’s critical view of his relationships – much of the album is spent justifying demands, desires and emotions against actions and implied accusations. Ruthless conflict pervades the album. In “Five Seconds,” the struggle is introduced (“I can’t get to your heart”).
The album progresses to the age-old question of a relationship’s worth (“I’m in love with my memories”), eventually mellowing out to the earnest “Be Mine Tonight.” While the album presents no real closure to the conflict, the hidden track “Mirror in the Dark” indicates otherwise.
Inspired by a motorcycle incident, Confess similarly builds endless momentum and portrays the potentially disastrous results of that buildup. Perhaps this is a statement on the album’s primary concerns, but more importantly proves that Lewis Jr. has perfected his craft. The album’s narrative progression is effortlessly polished and endlessly advances to a climax that doesn’t fail in each and every song.
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