Twen's sunny-dazed “Baptism” is a deep dive into washed-up dream pop

There’s a long list of things that have left musicians awestruck over the years: on Stevie Nicks’ debut solo album, it was the mythological assurance of the Northern Star; for the stony-voiced Irish folk-singer Adrian Crowley it was “you”, looking like both the dust and the sunbeam; somewhat more poetically, for Eminem, it was himself, because he is “awesome”. Twen’s debut album coins the same phrase. Awestruck will be released by Frenchkiss in September, and “Baptism” is the latest to leave us wide-eyed on their washed-up jukebox.

It doesn’t sound like the kind of track that should be a single. A whole minute’s sunny dazed instrumental meanders around exquisitely saccharine C86-era guitars, as if someone had put a gun to slowcore Low’s proverbial heads and told them to hurry up. It’s the kind of ephemeral, dizzyingly transitory pop that would have come from generations of punk rockers deciding to chase after loveliness without any of the political anger.

The soft production of subtle reverb and synth glints would’ve had Richard Swift drooling, as Jane Fitzsimmons' quixotic refrain rumbles through variations of the phrase “all that I want is to be anyone.” In as far as shoegaze goes, it’s almost anthemic; as much sunny surf rock as cuddling up to the tropes of dream-pop and pastel goth. They’ll be on the road with Tacocat later in the year, and this is one that’ll wash over you like an unshakeable hallucinogenic.

“Baptism” is out now and Awestruck is out 20 September via Frenchkiss. Find their tour dates supporting Tacocat on Twen's Facebook.