The Twilight Sad

The Twilight Sad are a post-punk/indie rock band from Kilsyth, Scotland, formed in 2003 by James Alexander Graham (vocals), Andy MacFarlane (guitar), Mark Devine (drums; 2003-2018), and Craig Orzel (bass; 2003-2010). Their debut album, [r=2501447], was released in April 2007 and drew widespread acclaim from critics, who noted Graham's thick Scottish accent and MacFarlane's dense sonic walls of shoegazing guitar and wheezing accordion. Sessions inspired by stripped-down and reworked live performances yielded the 2008 mini-album, Malos Tiempos. Their second album, [r=1958441] (released in September 2009), was lyrically more personal and musically darker and more streamlined. Recording sessions for the album also produced the mid-2010 EP release [r=2476533], which followed the departure of bassist Craig Orzel in February 2010.

The Twilight Sad's third album, [r=3396888], was released in February 2012 and marked another stylistic shift, with the band citing industrial music and krautrock influences for a darker, sparser sound. The band released their fourth studio album, [r=6237639], in October 2014 to critical acclaim. Mark Devine left the band amicably in January 2018; the band currently consists of Graham, MacFarlane, Johnny Docherty (bass), Brendan Smith (keyboards) and Sebastien Schultz (drums). They released their fifth album, [r=13080428], in January 2019.

The band describes their sound as "folk with layers of noise," and music critics have described the band as "perennially unhappy" and "a band that inject some real emotion and dynamic excitement into a comparatively standard template."