Track of the Day: Twain “Death (or S.F.?)” (2019)

“Death (or S.F.?)” is the new single from Twain, and the second single from the new EP New Miami Sounds, a collection of unreleased songs from the sessions that birthed 2017 album Rare Feeling.

Twain is an indie folk project led by Mat (or Mt.) Davidson, who’s also spent time playing in both The Low Anthem and Spirit Family Reunion. If you’re not already familiar with Twain’s output, then you’re in for a treat, especially if you’re a fan of the likes of Phosphorescent and Langhorne Slim. 2017’s Rare Feeling is a gem of a record and features some sublime songwriting and performances. That the songs contained on New Miami Sounds come directly from those sessions only bodes well.

Since the release of Rare Feeling, Davidson and his bandmates have started stirring up a bit of buzz, appearing at Newport Folk Festival, Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion, and SXSW. As well as touring with the likes of Big Thief, The Deslondes and more.

“Death (or S.F.?)” is a warm, albeit still melancholic, piano ballad. The track mulls on the idea of death as the great unknown and offers a somewhat positive representation of death and dying, with Davidson comparing the act of dying to the experiences of sexual awakening or travelling to an exotic city (in this case San Francisco). It’s a beautiful song, with the right balance of instrumentation and a perfectly pitched vocal performance. Certainly, on this particular song those Phosphorescent comparisons can be heard clearly, especially in the vocals.

“Death (or S.F.?)” and New Miami Sound are available now. You can find more on Twain on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Header Image: David Gordan

Simon Clark

Books Editor. An admirer of songs and reader of books. Simon has a PhD in English and Comparative Literature. All errant apostrophes are his own.