Album Review: Psychic Twin’s Strange Diary Is A Highly Stylized Look Into Her 80’s Heart
Psychic Twin’s Strange Diary is a neon-colored tunnel into the beating heart of Erin Fein. Four years traveling between New York and Illinois to settle the ashes of her dissolution marriage, Fein picked herself up like a phoenix and transformed herself into Psychic Twin. Yet, it is a rough process to confront an old life that will no longer be apart of your future one. Hence, the title of Strange Diary; an electro-pop dive into the very real and, unfortunately, common turmoil that is heartache.
I mention Fein’s divorce not only because it inspired Strange Diary, but it is the key to relishing the beauty of its composition. It is in understanding the level of spiritual effort and release that went into Psychic Twin’s debut that sets the mindfulness needed to absorb every note and word of this record. The album contains songs written before, during, and after Fein’s divorce, which explains why her lyrics are surreally personal and raw. You can feel the rapidness, pain, and confusion of her heart as it tries to understand how love, for all its power, can dissipate. This issue and tale is as old as time. How many can say that they have never experienced heartbreak? Yet, the heartbreak over an ending love story, like a marriage, is too potent a pain to imagine. Luckily, Psychic Twin knows how to paint sonic pictures with an 80’s musical backdrop and a straight-toned, open voice.
Psychic Twin’s voice is like a glass of warm, milk. It is soothing by nature, which allows the banging bassline, persistent kick drum, and overall synthetic keys to become calmly absorbent. The irony of Twin’s ethereally crisp vocals is that they are ingrained in earthly, heartfelt sentiments. Yet, then again, maybe that is the point. For however humble and true a love can feel, when it is ending, it becomes like a virtual game. A love that was once felt so genuinely and passionately felt, now becomes a coldly manufactured game, i.e. a divorce. Twin’s authentic struggles to sift through emotions like rage and longing towards her leaving lover will brew empathy in any listener’s heart. From Unlock YR Heart to Lose Myself, she taps into the desire to not end her marriage while also wondering if it has ended her for either who she was and, at times, who she will be. Thus, the 80’s synth-pop, even “arcade-esque”, sonics are a befitting contrast to her humbling voice. When confronted with the ploys and plots of a disintegrating romance it is a grounding experience.
When asked, Fein honestly proclaimed that Strange Diary’s “songs are 100% a diary of my life over the last four years”. That level of raw truthfulness from her heart, combined with the masterful electronica that intercuts this album like love’s blade, is what makes Strange Diary an amazing 9 track debut. Art comes from the blood, sweat, and tears of passion, and this record is filled with it. Thus, if I were to give this album a literal grade, it would be A+. To take pain and make stunning music transforms Erin Fein, not simply into Psychic Twin, but a prime example of virtue. Click Here For More Information on Psychic Twin and To Buy Strange Diary.
