Solid State Records has welcomed a new band of brothers — quite literally — orphantwin. Today, the duo has shared the double single, “Deathsurf” and “Headphones or Die,” along with a video for “Deathsurf.”
The blood bond between Norma Jean vocalist Cory Brandan and his brother Matthew Putman operates as the beating heart of this Arkansas-based duo, which quietly materialized over the past few years.
During the recording of Norma Jean’s All Hail in 2019, Matthew contributed heavily as a co-writer, co-producer, percussionist, and engineer. Among his contributions, they collaborated on the opening track, “Orphan Twin.” When the world shut down in 2020, Cory and Matthew resumed writing together. It naturally morphed into its own beast as they progressed: Shaking cinematic soundscape architecture with fits of metallic intensity and unexpected melodic bliss.
Matthew shares more about how orphantwin came to fruition:
“‘Deathsurf’ was the song that birthed orphantwin. Cory and I started experimenting in the studio, writing shorter, hyper-focused songs based on the music we grew up with, filtered through the lens of our current songwriting and production aesthetic. ‘Deathsurf’ draws inspiration from bands like Angel Hair, Voivod, Burned Up Bled Dry, and Slayer.”
Cory adds, “I had an incredibly vivid dream a few years ago. I saw a giant wave rising up over the tree line. I saw myself trying to get everyone inside before it reached us, I looked over again and I saw a much larger second wave behind the first. It covered the sky, and when it crashed, it consumed everything in its path. orphantwin is a studio project with my brother, Matthew. We talk about everything, but especially the ways our brains process things and how our lives together are a wealth of inspiration. We wrote some songs about cataclysmic waves, and we wrote some songs about how, in hindsight, I should have surfed that shit.”
Regarding “Headphones or Die,” the duo states, “orphantwin at its heart is a studio project. Using the studio as an instrument allows us the freedom to take a 2-piece garage band and fill the gaps with sampling, sound design, copying, pasting, stretching audio, finding sounds we want from the space around us, and piling it on. Garage pop.”
The duo will be releasing their album, Future Classic, June 3 via Solid State Records. Cory has this to say about what fans can expect:
“My goal is to create escapism. I love it when art helps you get away from all the worries of your life or the world. There’s no agenda. Lyrically, it’s all open to interpretation. So, ride the wave.”
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