Twine

The two threads that twist together to make South Australian band Twine are barrelling noise rock and wounded, stinging country.  Their debut record New Old Horse is dazzling and devastating in equal measure; a tender yet eruptive exploration of wayward relationships and the aches of identity in flux. The dynamism of the album mirrors these disordered attachments and emotions — tracks of brute force quickly descend into mournful interludes from the violin, while slow tracks sprawl out and then explode into a pummel of noise and drums. Tom Katsaras’ unpolished vocals quiver and howl, giving each song a sorrowful depth.

The band began in Kaurna land/Adelaide in 2021, initially as a solo vehicle for Katasaras’ experiments into brash, country-inflected rock. But as the band members shifted and finally solidified into their current line-up — Tom Katsaras (Vocals / Guitar),  Matt Schultz (Guitar), Thea Martin (Violin), Alicia Salvanos (Bass) and Jackson Pagett (Drums) — the music became more of a collective effort, with Katsaras bringing his bandmates small fragments of songs that were then expanded and warped into new shapes. Part of the unruly power of New Old Horse (Mixed by Alex Farrar, who has worked with MJ Lenderman and Wednesday) comes from this communal approach.

Drawing inspiration from current contemporaries such as Wednesday, Sprain and Chat Pile as well as heritage acts like The Dirty Three, The Drones and Unwound (who handpicked the group to support them on their Australian tour earlier this month), the group pay homage to their influences with originality and earnestness.

New Old Horse comes off the back of the band’s reputation for bracing live shows. After an array of east coast tours supporting fellow Australian acts like Bad//Dreems, Dust, Mini Skirt, The Belair Lip Bombs, Grace Cummings, Armlock and VOIID, plus post-rock veterans Mclusky, Twine headed to Aotearoa/New Zealand for their first international tour, including a stop at Camp A Low Hum festival (Wednesday, Holy Fuck). The band continue to laud significant buzz across fans and media alike, performing to overflowing rooms for their SXSW Sydney debut, and across their ‘Sleeping Dogs’ east coast tour last month.