If there’s anyone who can write a heartbreaking song about lost love, and still have it turn into a dance anthem, it’s Twin Shadow, a.k.a. George Lewis Jr. The Dominican Republic-born singer first made waves with his debut album, Forget, in 2010. Thanks to a dreamy, ‘80s-new-wave sound, he managed to up the ante—and rhythms—in 2012’s Confess with tracks like “Five Seconds" and “Golden Light.”
His grandiose, soaring compositions are fully realized in his brand new album, Eclipse, out yesterday. Full of 4 AM croons, staple club songs, and big, bold, almost celebratory anthems about heartbreak, Twin Shadow returns with enough swagger to shake stadiums with fans singing along.
We chatted with George about recording Eclipse in a cemetery (yes, that happened), getting a little girl-crazy, and how he makes those killer remixes (like one of OC favorite Solange).
JESSICA CHOU: I hear you recorded your new album at a cemetery?
GEORGE LEWIS JR.: Recording started inside a chapel at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. We were looking for a place that had 24-hour access and where we could make as much noise as possible and not bother neighbors. A cemetery really is the best place to do it.
Because everyone—
Everyone’s dead. [Laughs] Well, you know, there are the chapels on the far end of the properties, and these huge walls, and it’s in an auto-parts district so there aren’t any residential areas.
Wasn’t it creepy being in the cemetery all alone?
Oh, it was plenty creepy. It was funny; I would go in on my motorcycle to work, and I would get out late at night, at three in the morning, and I’d get on my bike and feel very exposed, like the zombies were going to get me. You could hear everything in the cemetery, every footstep. One night, some kids broke into the cemetery over the wall and it freaked me out. It was usually so empty, but I could hear their footsteps, and I started my motorcycle as fast as I could to get out of there.
Do you think being alone in that space affected the sound of your album?
Not in the way that you would think. The album isn’t creepy, but it’s very open and maybe church-like in the sense that it’s very big. It was more just a cool place to meditate, and it helped me really think about a lot of things in my personal life.
People have described your music as cinematic. Do you see specific scenes or movies when writing?
His grandiose, soaring compositions are fully realized in his brand new album, Eclipse, out yesterday. Full of 4 AM croons, staple club songs, and big, bold, almost celebratory anthems about heartbreak, Twin Shadow returns with enough swagger to shake stadiums with fans singing along.
We chatted with George about recording Eclipse in a cemetery (yes, that happened), getting a little girl-crazy, and how he makes those killer remixes (like one of OC favorite Solange).
JESSICA CHOU: I hear you recorded your new album at a cemetery?
GEORGE LEWIS JR.: Recording started inside a chapel at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. We were looking for a place that had 24-hour access and where we could make as much noise as possible and not bother neighbors. A cemetery really is the best place to do it.
Because everyone—
Everyone’s dead. [Laughs] Well, you know, there are the chapels on the far end of the properties, and these huge walls, and it’s in an auto-parts district so there aren’t any residential areas.
Wasn’t it creepy being in the cemetery all alone?
Oh, it was plenty creepy. It was funny; I would go in on my motorcycle to work, and I would get out late at night, at three in the morning, and I’d get on my bike and feel very exposed, like the zombies were going to get me. You could hear everything in the cemetery, every footstep. One night, some kids broke into the cemetery over the wall and it freaked me out. It was usually so empty, but I could hear their footsteps, and I started my motorcycle as fast as I could to get out of there.
Do you think being alone in that space affected the sound of your album?
Not in the way that you would think. The album isn’t creepy, but it’s very open and maybe church-like in the sense that it’s very big. It was more just a cool place to meditate, and it helped me really think about a lot of things in my personal life.
People have described your music as cinematic. Do you see specific scenes or movies when writing?
I wrote the [last song on the album], “Locked and Loaded,” picturing all the times I’ve laid in bed at 4 AM when it’s almost day, and I was waiting for somebody to call me, someone whom I’m really crazy about. As jaded as you get about love and life sometimes, that moment is still very relevant. Where you’re waiting for a text message, and you see that “dot dot dot,” and you know someone has read what you’ve said and they’re not responding and you’re just waiting? That song was very visual to me, because it’s very cinematic. That happens in films all the time.
Are films a large influence on your music?
I used to be obsessed with film. I used to watch two movie
Are films a large influence on your music?
I used to be obsessed with film. I used to watch two movie